Reputations to Maintain
by ToyInTheAttic
Summary: Ever since high school started, Yamato and Taichi have parted ways. When Hikari starts hanging around Yamato's group, Taichi doesn't like it. But seeing Taichi is making Yamato feel...familiar feelings. This is just that phase again, right? AU Taito
1. Partying With The New Girls

**Disclaimer: The Digimon characters aren't mine…**why do we even have to write these?

A/N: Remember how all of the kids went to the Digi-World and made friends with each other and all got along? Yeah…forget all of that. This is my first AU story, so review and tell me what you think!

_**Chapter One: Partying With The New Girls**_

Lunch was the only time of the day I actually enjoyed and could get by. I always sat with my grade eleven boys and loved it, since we never really talked about serious stuff or did anything. We just hung out and went on about random shit.

Same table, same friends, same food…you know. The normal. On the second floor of the school there were seats where you could look down into the first floor cafeteria. Six tables from the pita line. The one with only two chairs. Everyday. Boy, did I love it.

My guys were simple: Daisuke, the only grade ten guy who was kind of like the joker in our group. The good thing about it was that he always made me laugh, but he couldn't really take many things seriously, which could get annoying at times. Yuki was kind of crazy, with all of his partying and drinking. Nori was the serious one, on my opinion. He helps me with my homework a lot. We called him Noah. Those were my basic guys, but they weren't my _only_ friends. Just my best buddies.

There were some girls. Sora was pretty cool, but sometimes she makes me wonder a lot. And Mai, who was pretty laid back most of the time and never really worried about anything.

It was Monday. Somehow I managed to get through with my morning and buy a pizza downstairs. Pepperoni and cheese was always a favourite for me.

"Yamato Ishida!" someone called to me. I looked forward and saw Noah, immediately growing a smile.

I sat at the chair I always do, across from no one. Normally Daisuke would be there, but he appeared missing.

I bit into my pizza, keeping up with the small talk everyone was doing. I took another bite as I heard, "Wanna leave?"

Yuki was waiting for me to answer when I swallowed my food. "Okay. After lunch."

"Nah. Right now!"

"Where's Dai?" I asked him and Noah, referring to Daisuke. They both shrugged.

"Not here," Mai replied. "Sick with the flu or something."

"Faking it?" Sora laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Probably."

"C'mon, let's leave this joint." Yuki pressured, sitting down. "We could just go to my house or something. What are you really gonna miss anyway?"

Yuki's mom didn't care what he did. If he jigged the afternoon, she wouldn't care. But if she caught him doing drugs, that would be a different story. She _does_ buy him drinks, which was kind of cool.

"I'm in," Noah added, an even more temptation to go.

"Fine," I gave in, following them. Mai and Sora took over the seats as we exited the school. "What are we gonna do?"

Yuki shrugged. "Chill? Dunno, man."

I smiled, preparing myself for an easy afternoon.

------------------------

Clearly, the next day was Tuesday. I've always hated that day: just like Monday, expect you're less tired.

This Tuesday, however, was different. I went to sit in my normal seat, six tables away from the pita line, chair closest to the left. I sat down across from Dai, who glared. Uh oh, I thought, shifting my eyes. "What did I do?" I asked him.

"You left yesterday."

"You were sick anyway!" I protested.

"I came back after lunch for gym class, and you weren't even here after school!"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever!"

Then, someone I didn't know came to our table. She was young, roughly a year or two younger than us. She had a friend with her. I gave her a dirty look, seeming as no one is suppose to join our table without permission.

"Mind if we sit with you?" she asked us, wearing a sheepish smile.

Dai moved over, letting her sit with him on his seat. Her friend faked-coughed to me, noting me to move over. I rolled my eyes and did so, wondering who the hell these girls were. I wasn't _too_ pissed off, just because it seemed like they knew Dai already. I still didn't know why they thought they could sit with us.

I kept my mouth shut, anyway.

"Girls, this is Yamato. Yamato -" he pointed at the girl beside him, "this is Mimi. And that's Kari."

Both of them were cute in a way. Kari had the "girl next door" look. She was totally innocent or something. Mimi was completely different with her blonde hair and pink streaks throughout it. It was clear she was a party girl, and might I add, she was _stunning_. Either way, both were cuties. I found myself smiling.

"How old are you guys?" I questioned.

"Grade ten," Kari replied. "My brother is in your grade."

"Who's your brother?"

"Taichi Yagami."

I froze. I knew Taichi all too well. We were the best of friends in middle school, and even played soccer together a few times. Then I gave up sports, and he became too much of an airhead to keep up with me. It just got too annoying. Overtime in high school, we began to die apart slowly. In grade ten we talked slightly, but now it wasn't the same. We couldn't go back to the way we were.

I had…awkward feelings for Taichi. I had the feelings that we were best friends and close and all, just different ones. Like we could have been somewhat more, but didn't dare tell anyone. The last thing I needed was to be stereotyped as "gay", so I kept my mouth shut. Sometimes I wondered what would happen if I _did_ tell him, but after grade ten, I decided it was just a phase. Couldn't have worked anyway - I had a reputation to maintain, after all.

I knew Taichi had a sister. I guess I never really went to his house all that often. Just enough to not remember what his sister looked like. I blinked, realizing I was actually sitting beside her right now.

"Yeah," I muttered. "I know him."

"I played soccer with him," Dai nodded his head slowly. "Good guy."

"He's a soccer champion," I added, taking a sip of my chocolate milk.

"Tell me about it!" he agreed, stealing a bite of my pizza. "There was ten seconds left in the game, he was rushing down the grass with the ball on his feet. While I tried to slash him down, he _still_ managed to get the ball in the net. I mean, what are the chances of still winning that shot? What _are_ the chances?!"

"Now that you've enlightened us with your soccer lesson of the day," Noah dryly interrupted, "I think it's time I have a seat."

He grumbled and stood up, allowing Noah to make his move on Mimi. "Hey, I'm Noah. Mimi, right?"

She nodded.

"I like your hair," he smiled. "It's pretty uncommon. I don't think anyone else has it."

"Thanks," she returned his smile, which made me sigh. Noah was such a ladies' man. He went out with a total of ten girls so far this year, and it was only March. I have gone out with none. I guess you could say I'm totally not into the dating idea. But flirting could never hurt anyone…

"You're such a cutie," I complimented, fluffing her hair.

She blushed and laughed.

"Oh my God, you have the best fashion ever," I added in a gay voice for the laughs. I got some from Kari as well.

I didn't find it too weird, since it was just one day. I mean, these girls wouldn't come back tomorrow, would they?

------------------------

Yes, yes they did.

I innocently got my slice of pizza and walked over to the sixth table away from the pita line, when all of the sudden I saw Dai sitting with Mimi, and Kari sitting alone. _What the fuck_? I thought, wondering why these girls came back.

I'm not mean. I just don't understand why grade ten girls would want to sit with a bunch of guys who are older than them.

I sat down beside Kari and gave a half-smile, then began eating my pizza.

"I had sex," Yuki started saying, which made me turn to face him. "with this one chick after fifteen minutes of knowing her. It was so weird, I think she's older than us, but I didn't even know her last name."

"You _what_?!" Mimi shrieked.

"I was drinking at this party, and we were laying on a bed. And it just kinda…happened."

"You slut," Noah shoved him playfully.

Kari was pretty quiet. I guess the subject just made her feel awkward. I didn't say much either, only because I thought the idea of having Taichi's younger sister sit beside me was really, really weird.

I thought maybe that Thursday they would be gone. Of course, they were still there.

I slowly walked to the table, just to think things through. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have them around. Maybe they could tell me how to deal with girls I like, or how to become a ladies' man like Noah, since none of the guys nor Sora and Mai would tell me anything.

"Yamato," someone muttered. I turned to face Lily, as she stopped me beside the pita line. "I'm having a party tomorrow night. My parents are out until Sunday night, so bring some drinks. And your friends."

She smiled and walked away, and I felt myself lighten up. It seemed like my day got better by just running into Lily.

I sat beside Kari once again. "Dai, are you going to -"

"Lily's party? Yeah, wouldn't miss out on something like that!" he bit off of my pizza. "Sora, Mai, Yuki, Noah, Mimi and Kari are going, too."

I turned to them. "Aren't you a little young for parties?"

Mimi punched me softly. "We're the same age as Dai, you know!"

"Oh Mimi," Kari interrupted, looking at her watch. "We have to go to that meeting. Catch you guys tomorrow, okay?"

As they left, everyone started to look at me. I ignored it for a few minutes, but the table was so silent I knew I had to speak up sooner or later. I pretended to look down at my food, then shook my head. "What?"

"You're totally into her," Dai commented.

"Who? Kari?"

"No, Mimi!" Yuki laughed.

"I don't get it," I shrugged. "What makes you think I like her? I mean, she's hot and all, just -"

"Oh please," Noah rolled his eyes. "The way you look at her and tease her."

"I barely even talk to her!"

"I think it's great," Dai clapped his hands together. "You haven't liked a girl in a long time."

"But -"

"Ask her out!" Yuki suggested, becoming very interested in the conversation.

"Take her on a date to the movies or something." Noah added, pushing Dai out of the chair and sitting himself down.

I thought about it for a moment. She _was_ good-looking, and maybe they were stating she liked me or something. What the hell, I thought, giving in. What did I have to lose, anyway?

"Well, there's that party tomorrow night. I might just dance with her and see what happens."

"Hey!" Noah, Dai, and Yuki cheered, patting me on the shoulder.

"Want some tips?" Noah asked me, not waiting for an answer. "Don't kiss her unless she wants to. Don't dirty dance unless she starts. Don't make out with her unless she opens her mouth first. Don't fuck her period."

"And don't make her do drugs," Yuki claimed, shaking his head sadly. "Then they become fucked up skanks and claim it's all your fault. Then she gets 'her boys' after you. Then everyone starts to hate you and wants to beat you up. So, you know…don't give her any drugs other than dope."

I laughed. "I'll keep those in mind."

------------------------

The next day went by smoothly. I went to Yuki's house for the afternoon to get ready for the party, only to find out it was another "Let's Talk About Mimi" thing.

"She's perfect for you, man." he claimed, taking a drink from an R and R bottle. "I mean, she's hot, she has a nice personality, she's probably easy, and -"

He was right. I sighed. She was a perfect girl. A lot of guys probably liked her, and yet, I didn't find myself all _that_ attracted to her. I just thought I'd pretend to like her so that the guys would shut up and leave me alone.

"I don't know," I replied, stealing the drink from him.

An hour later we were at the party, which was as crazy as hell. Everyone was there. Even people you don't even know at the school, who are loners or something, were living it up by drinking and dancing.

I lost Yuki immediately after I walked in the front door. It was a huge house with a lot of people, so I didn't care much. I was most likely to run into someone I know.

"Hey, Yamato!"

Mimi was calling my name. I smiled and approached her, wondering if she really did like me or something. She started dancing once she came to me, so I danced back.

"How are you?" she yelled, turning around so her back was facing me.

She was a _damn_ good dancer.

"Good, buzzed," I shouted back, realizing she was dirty dancing with me. Without hesitation I returned her dance moves.

"Me too."

She definitely likes me, I thought, dancing more extreme. She ran her body against mine in fast movement. I smiled and put my hands on her hips. Her placed her hands on mine, as if showing me how to move her hips. Before I knew what I was doing, I was kissing her neck.

She faced me and kissed me, making me open my eyes wide. What am I doing? I barely even know this girl. Yet she's all over me.

Or maybe she's just drunk.

As soon as I thought that, she turned away and muttered, "Sorry…I…I don't know what came over me."

"It's okay." I whispered back, watching her walk away in confusion. What the hell just happened?

I made my way around the house and the loud music, running into another little girl.

"Oh, hey Kari."

"Hey," she smiled shyly.

I decided to start dancing playfully with her, making her feel less uncomfortable. "You don't seem like the party type," I told her, making the worst dance moves I could come up with.

She laughed. "I'm not really. I lost Mimi as soon as I came in here."

"I was just with her. She kissed me and ran away."

Kari frowned, which made me feel weird. "Uh…" I muttered.

"We just started hanging out. I don't know, she kinda backstabbed me a few times already." she explained, making me even more confused. Why was Kari telling me this? "She told me she was sorry, then just did it again."

"Everyone thinks I should hook up with her."

She faced me one-on-one. "Do you like her?"

I shrugged. "A bit,"

Suddenly, her eyes were filled with hurt. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if she liked me, or if she was just jealous everyone is crushing on Mimi.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go find Noah." I pointed out, dashing away from the awkward conversation.

I didn't find Noah, but I _did_ find Takeru, my younger brother.

"Hey!" I cried, hugging him.

Takeru is my brother that I never really get to see. My parents were divorced when I was really young, and my mother took Takeru away from me, leaving me with my dad. I never understood why, and ever since I've hated my dear mother. I didn't even know her, but what she did to me was enough to explain a lot to me.

"Hey, Yamato. What are you doing?"

"Getting drunk. You?"

"Same."

I laughed. "You see anyone else here we know?"

"Just Taichi and some others you probably already saw. Anyway, I'm gonna go find some people. Take it easy."

I put my hand on his shoulder as he walked away, then banged into Kari again.

"Yamato?"

"Yeah?"

Without another word, she kissed me. It wasn't serious, just a long peck. I stood there in total confusion, wondering what the hell was going on. She pulled away from me and smiled innocently, the same innocent smile I've been seeing all week.

"I guess that's how drunk I am."

------------------------

When I was about to leave the party at two in the morning, I was stopped by a heavy hand on my shoulder. Thinking it was Noah or Yuki, I turned around and received a smack in the nose. I immediately fell onto the ground, holding my nose in pain. It was bleeding.

Taichi pulled me up and punched me again, but missed.

I straightened up my shirt, brushing the grass off. "What's your problem, Yagami?"

"Don't you ever fucking touch my sister again," he hissed, grabbing my shirt collar. "If I ever see you kiss her one more time, I swear to fucking God it'll be the last thing you do. You don't touch her, you hear me? You don't fucking touch her."

"Relax!" I demanded, pulling his collar. "Tai, you haven't even talked to me in a goddamn year. What's it to you if I kiss your sister? _She_ kissed _me_, you know. What was I suppose to do?"

"Shut the fuck up and listen to me," he pointed a finger at my face. "Don't…touch her."

"Get your dirty finger out of my face," I snapped, smacking it away from me. I glared at him while walking away, realizing the crowd of people around me. I rolled my eyes. "Back off, nothing to see," I told them, calling for a taxi.

------------------------

That night, when I was slowly becoming sober, I started thinking. I _was_ becoming attracted to Mimi, ever since she showed me those dance moves, but something told me to stay away from her. And Kari kissing me was completely random, and was the most awkward experience ever. But Tai picking a fight with me was crossing the line. I mean, she came onto me. What was I suppose to do? Push her away from me?

I remembered that Tai was always really protective of Kari. He always disapproved when she went on dates.

I started thinking about my past feelings for Tai. The ones when I couldn't stop thinking about him, or the ones when I thought about what would happen if I kissed him. How would he have reacted?

I shook my head. I wasn't allowed to think those thoughts. This guy tried to beat me up, and all I can think of was how I used to think of him as more than a friend.

Maybe I'll call him tomorrow, I thought. I should explain to him what happened, and that it was all an accident. Yeah, that's what I'll do. As for Kari, I'll just tell her I was too drunk to remember, no matter how much of an asshole I would sound.

I rolled over to my side, closing my eyes. What a wild night…


	2. Arguing With The Old Friends

**Disclaimer: **I wish they did, but the Digimon characters do not belong to me.

_**Chapter Two: Arguing With The Old Friends**_

There was a smile on my face the next morning. I have no idea why, my hangover was as annoying as hell, but I was suddenly in a good mood. I knew I had to call Tai later on that day, and I knew I had to talk to Mimi and Kari.

The first thing I did was call Noah. He was pretty hung over, too.

"Hey man," he said in a exhausted voice.

"I kissed two girls last night."

Silence, then, "Who?"

"Kari and Mimi."

More silence.

"Are you shitting me?"

"I don't know how it happened," I protested, standing up and pacing. "First I saw Mimi, and we started dancing, and she was…I dunno…she was pretty good at dancing. Then she turned around and kissed me, and I'm going like what the hell? And she was just like I'm sorry, blah, blah, blah…so then she left. After I talked to Takeru for a while, I -"

"How is TK, anyway?"

"Fine…but anyway, I ran into Kari once, left her, then ran into her again, and she kissed me! Out of no where! And this is Kari, a completely shy and unpredictable person! What was I suppose to do?"

"What _did_ you do?" he asked, now in suspense.

I dropped my arm to my side. "I kissed her back."

"Man…"

"I know!" I cried, falling back into bed. "I'm so stupid! So once I left, Tai Yagami started a -"

"Tai? You mean Taichi Yagami?"

"Same thing," I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, he started beating the shit outta me, and I was like what was I suppose to do, push her away? Then he was like fuck, fuck, fuck, blah, blah, blah…"

"Why did you call him Tai?"

"It's his nickname."

"Oh," he sighed. "Well, tight situation. I say you talk to Kari about it, tell her you don't really mean anything when you kiss people. You should probably apologize to Yagami, just to not sound like a complete ass." I could feel Noah smirking. "As for Mimi, keep flirting and -"

"Oh yeah, I have a confession…" I sighed. "I don't actually like her."

Silence. The conversation started to get kind of annoying. I rolled my eyes and continued talking. "I pretended like I did so that you guys would stop bugging me. I mean, every time I meet a new girl, you guys are all in my face, telling me I should hook up with her. I don't want a girlfriend right now. Just because I'm in grade eleven, doesn't mean I need a girlfriend to keep me happy."

I took a breath and hoped to God he wouldn't blurt this to Yuki or Dai.

"Well, I'm sorry we nagged at you. It's just that you haven't liked a girl in so long, we…I don't know…we're worried."

"Worried?" I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you worried?"

"We think maybe Sora fucked you over big time last year."

I stuck a pillow in my face. This was getting _really_ annoying. I dated Sora for two months in grade ten, in September and October, and she broke up with me because she told me I wasn't "boyfriend material". She said it would be best if we were friends, and I kind of agreed with her. But the guys always bring her up, mentioning how "I'm not over her" and "I can't move on".

"I told you before, I don't care anymore."

"You sure?" He didn't seem convinced.

"I mean it!" I declared. "If I wasn't I would have told _you_! And if I wasn't, I would have asked her back out this year. You know I'm not nervous to ask people out."

"You seem nervous to fall in love again."

Noah always caught me off my guard, making me not have a reasonable come back. I groaned.

"I wasn't in love with her. I just liked her."

"A lot."

"Whatever,"

"You don't like Kari, do you?" The question came out of no where.

"Not really," I replied. "Err, she's cool and everything, just too…innocent, ya know? It's like she wouldn't really do anything with me, and Tai…uh, never mind."

"What about Taichi?" he snapped. "Every time I bring him up, you get all weird. I know you guys used to be friends and all, but what happened between you two?"

I didn't feel like answering him. Noah was a good friend and stuff, but me telling him about my feelings for Tai would just make him go ballistic on me, which was the last thing I needed. I wasn't sure on what to tell him, but I knew he would find out anyway.

"Noah, I'm gonna tell you something I have never told anyone in my entire life, and you have to promise not to tell anyone, or that you won't use it against me in any sort of way in the future."

"Okay, I promise."

My voice got caught in my throat. I couldn't bring myself to tell him.

"I…" I choked, "I…can't tell you. Guess."

"You expect me to guess what happened between you two that made you guys not friends anymore?"

Relief excited me. "You just wanna know why we aren't friends?"

"Yeah,"

"Oh…" I smiled. "Well, he just got way into his soccer, and I got into my music. Soon enough we just went our separate ways, you know?"

"Wait a minute…" he analyzed, "There's something else. Nothing to do with not being friends, but something that happened. Tell me."

_Now_ he got me. I felt like I was in a room with him, trapped dead in the corner. I sighed deeply.

"I…had…a cru…"

"I can't hear you."

"I…liked…"

He laughed. "Yamato, I really can't understand a word you're -"

"I liked him, okay?"

There was a deep, never-ending pause. Suddenly, everything seemed to stop. I had no idea what was going on in Noah's head, but whatever it was, it couldn't have been too good. I could tell he was mixed with thoughts.

"_What_?!"

"Uh, nothing," I suddenly snapped, wondering why the hell I would blurt that out.

"You mean you…_liked_ him?!"

"No! I have to go."

He gasped. "No wonder you don't like Mimi! You're gay! I completely get it now!"

"Hey!" I snapped. "No one said anything about _that_, it was just a phase! A stupid, lousy phase!"

"Does Yuki or Dai know?"

"No, and I don't plan on then finding out."

I could practically _feel_ him rubbing his eyes. "All right…I won't tell anyone, not even Mai or Sora. I'll keep it to myself, but I'm not dropping this subject. How long have you liked him? Does anyone else know? Did he like you, too?"

"It was three fucking years ago," I stressed. "Look, it was in grade eight, and a little bit of grade nine. But now, I hardly even think about him, so it doesn't matter anymore."

"Like hell it does!"

I ignored him. "No one else knows. No one. Not even him. So you can't even talk about it."

"I'm not through with it yet!"

"Well, I am!" I shouted. "I don't wanna talk about it, okay? I wish I never brought it up…just…forget I ever said anything, all right?"

I hung up, realizing we were talking for almost an hour. It was already noon. I decided to give Tai a call.

I wasn't really sure why I suddenly blurted that out to Noah, of all people. Maybe seeing Tai the night before reminded me. Sure, Noah wouldn't tell anyone. Sure, he'd probably drop it completely in a few days, but I really didn't want him to get a bad feeling about me, like he wouldn't want to hang out with me or something.

At first, I was kind of excited. It gave me an excuse to talk to him again. You know, the feeling when you talk to your old friends for the first time in forever? Especially the few minutes before you start talking.

You start wondering…would he be happy? Would he be excited? Would he forgive you?

"Hello?"

"Hey, Tai!" Silence. "It's Yamato."

…would he be happy? Would he be excited? Would he forgive…

"Why the hell are you calling me?"

…damn.

"Listen, I just wanted to say sorry for last night. I was drinking a lot, and, well, I wasn't thinking straight for what I did to Kari. I know I must have been a real jerk. I should have said sorry last night."

"Okay, bye."

"Wait!" I cried, tightly shutting my eyes.

He moaned. "What? Why are you even talking to me?"

"Don't you even forgive me?"

He laughed. "Yama, do yourself a favour, and roll yourself another joint."

He hung up. I was stunned, not only because he completely left me speechless, but because he wouldn't even talk to me. It was like he hated me. I suddenly felt myself becoming extremely pissed off. I thought of calling him again, and even going to his house. But if I called him, he wouldn't answer. And if I went to go see him, I'd run into Kari, too. I dropped those ideas.

Feeling droopy, I knew bacon and eggs would make everything feel better.

The telephone rang before I got out of bed.

"Yamato," Noah's voice came. "I'm coming over."

------------------------

I was nervous. Noah wanted to come over for one reason, and I knew damn well I was right. I fiddled with my fingers, tension growing strong. I nearly jumped when a knock on the door came. I stood up and let Noah in.

"So, let me get this straight…" he said once coming in. "You liked Tai in middle school? And that means you were gay…or bi? I don't know how it works."

"Neither do I," I rolled my eyes.

Honestly, I didn't feel comfortable talking to Noah about situations like these. I knew I shouldn't have told him anything. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I knew somehow Yuki and Dai were going to find out about it sooner or later.

He tilted his head at me. "Just so you know, Yamato," he stated, "if you _are_ gay or bi, it really, really wouldn't bother me. You'd still be the same eleventh grader I've always known. And I'm not pressuring you, but I'm there to talk to you when you need it."

I cracked a smile. "I'm not gay."

------------------------

I didn't plan on telling Noah, but I didn't think having him over was a good idea. It was just like talking to him on the phone, and we didn't even figure anything out. We talked about it for ten minutes, then I ordered pizza for us.

Once he left in the evening, I was trying to figure out what I was supposed to do that night. Saturdays were so…busy. Normally. This Saturday, with no party invitations, I had no idea of what I was going to do.

Somehow, I had this "great" plan to call Tai and lip him out for lipping me that morning. I smiled and grabbed the phone, wondering if maybe _he_ could apologize this time.

"Hello?"

"Guess who." I replied dryly.

He groaned. "My God, Yama. What's wrong? Did you fuck Kari or -"

"I called to tell you that it was really low of you to not accept my apology this morning. You could have at least forgiven me, or said sorry back for trying to beat the shit out of me. Listen, Tai, I know we're not the best of friends anymore, but we should be mature about a matter like this. If I say sorry, then you should say _okay_, not _go get more stoned_."

"Well," he paused, then asked, "were you stoned?"

I ran my fingers through my hair. "You should know I haven't smoked since grade nine."

"Oh? Finally quit?"

I laughed. "Two years ago, man."

"I knew you'd finally smarten up and listen to me."

"You've never been much of a pothead, have you, Tai? I mean, I remember the first time you smoked then never did again. I kept asking you to, but _nooo_."

He laughed. "Do you know what -"

He paused. We both sat in silence, most likely thinking the same thing…

_Why the hell am I talking to this person?_

He cleared his throat. "Um…why'd you call me, anyway?"

"I wanted an apology from you giving me a bloody nose, just because your younger sister tried to kiss me at a party, which I had nothing to do with it. Then when I said sorry, you lipped me."

"Oh…" he muttered, making me think of him smirking. "Well…sorry."

------------------------

I stayed home for the rest of the weekend. Why? I don't even know. I guess I wanted a break from going out so much, and decided to spend some time on the couch in front of the television. It was sure good to be home.

Monday morning I showed up at school, nervous of how the day was going to work out. Mimi and Kari were both on my mind, and I was also wondering if Noah opened his big mouth to anyone.

I was over thankful when I saw Yuki in English class, without having him saying the words, "gay", "don't talk to me", or, "Taichi Yagami".

At lunch when I saw everyone at the table acting casual, I took a deep breath. Hopefully things wouldn't be awkward when I sat down.

When I approached the sixth table from the pita line, Kari didn't bother to move over. I raised an eyebrow at her, wondering why she ignored me. Mimi, however, scooted over and allowed me to have a seat. I awkwardly sat, smiling.

"Some party the other night," I said lightly, starting conversation.

No one replied. Bad move, I discovered, scratching my head.

Suddenly, I realized Yuki wasn't there. I was wondering what was going on when Mimi stood up.

"I have to go to my homeroom class for a second. I'll be right back!" she claimed, rushing away.

Kari eyed me, looking rather angry. "I'm so mad at Mimi."

I raised my eyebrow again. "Why?"

She shrugged. "She told me she went on a date with Yuki on Saturday night, and when I talked to him, he said they just hung out for ten minutes. And he was wasted. So, that means she obviously made it up _just_ to get me mad at her."

"Why would that make you mad?"

"Because I kind of like Yuki…but don't tell anyone."

I shook my head. "No, you don't."

"Yes," She stared at her pita, "I do."

"But…" I didn't want to say it. I knew it would just make her even more mad, and even mad at me. But it was eating me inside. "I don't think you remember the party very clearly. You kissed me, and your brother tried to beat me for it."

"I remember."

This made me more confused. Kari was the innocent one. Now, she was seeming like a slut, who made out with me for no reason. It kind of made me pissed off, but then I let her explain.

"I was drinking too much to handle myself, and I…I don't know…I was mad at Mimi for something stupid, so when I found out she kissed you, I just did it too. Then I realized how stupid I was being and started crying, so Yuki kind of took care of me and called Tai up for him to take me home. I'm sorry he punch you, I didn't mean for anything like that to happen. And please, please don't tell me I'm a skank like Mimi."

That made me feel used.

Mimi skipped over to us, moving me over to sit on the seat with me. "So," she smiled. "What are we talking about?"

------------------------

Finally, it was fifth period. The last class before the end of Monday. On last period, I have gym class, which would seem like the easiest class in the world. However, if you were a musician like me, it would be the most horrifying class in the world.

My class was taken into a large gym, and the teachers told us we were combining classes with other students who have gym the same time we do. While doing this, we were playing a big game of dodge-ball. Not my favourite, but at least that meant I didn't have to run or pass out.

I was almost asleep while leaning against the wall when I heard,

"Ishida, you will be Team A's captain."

I opened my eyes, seeing on the of gym teacher's talking to me. I raised an eyebrow. "Ooo-kay…"

I stood up and went beside my teacher. Then I heard something else that made me jump.

"Yagami, you will be Team B's captain."

I turned my attention completely to Tai, who was now standing beside me. He smiled half-heartedly. I smiled back, still wearing a confused face.

I picked the first person, and clearly, I picked the person who was best at aiming. Tai picked the next, and so on. I had a pretty good team, except the group of girls who would most likely do nothing but sit in a circle and talk.

The rules were simple. Everyone on the team had to protect their captain from getting hit by the ball. However, if they were hit, they would be out until the captain tagged them back in. I didn't worry too much, knowing the chances of me getting smoked by the red ball was very slim. I had some pretty energetic people on Team A.

I made a plan for the team that most of the people should protect me, but seven or eight energetic people had to run around and throw the ball to try to tag Tai. They followed it quite well when the game started.

It was easy at first. All I had to do was stand around while ten people surrounded me. I hardly even saw the ball being thrown near me, on the count of the seven or eight people catching it before it could. I was loving it, and I knew it would be an easy class.

When the first person who was protecting me got hit, I knew nine people weren't enough. I had to go get her back.

I moved to the "jail cell" with the others following me when the second one was smoked in the face by the ball. She had to go to the bathroom…I mean, that ball hit her _hard_!

Eight people protecting me left. And if that wasn't enough, one of the ball-throwers was out. I began to panic slightly until I figured out that some of the other team's players were out already.

The jail cell was probably three meters away from me when a ball hit one of the guys who were protecting me, and the same time it bounced off and rolled to me, which made me panic. Before I knew it, someone had picked it up and hit someone from the other side of the gym.

A gym teacher blew her whistle and paused the game.

"Now, captains can throw the balls!"

Shit, shit, shit! I cursed in my mind. Now my team would actually _expect_ me to do something!

Someone else was hit with the ball, which made me able to get the ball and throw it. However, I have horrible aim, and I can't throw too far. Instead, I picked it up and passed it to a guy who already had a ball. He gave me a dirty look and I shrugged.

While returning to my protectors, I felt something hard hit my stomach. I looked down to see a red ball roll a meter away from me. My eyes searched and found Tai smiling, clapping his hands together as if brushing them off, making it obvious it was him who throw it at me.

It was game over, and it was harshly my fault.

------------------------

I got some shit from people on our team, who were saying, "You should have stayed put!" and "Way to go, Ishida!"

I didn't care much, and shrugged the thought away. While walking down a hallway after getting dressed to my normal clothes and hear the bell, someone was shoved into me, making me shove into someone walking beside me. On the floor, many binders and textbooks were scattered.

Tai groaned, reaching down for his books. I bent down and helped him.

"Thanks," he grumbled as I passed him a binder and two textbooks.

"No problem," I smiled. "And by the way, thanks for tagging me out. Some people on my team were truly happy for me."

He smirked. "I thought they would be." He grabbed the last binder from the floor. "Look, Yama, I really am sorry about Friday. I didn't mean make you mad, I was just pissed about Kari. And I guess I'm sorry about the phone conversation thing."

"Well…you're forgiven."

He was about to walk away when he suddenly stopped, looking at me. "Do you want a drive home?"

I nodded slowly, following him to the parking lot. I was shocked Tai was even talking to me, better yet, I was wondering why he just asked me if he could drive me home. I smiled, knowing maybe mine and Tai's friendship wasn't completely over. Maybe we could rebuild it, making it stronger. Tai was a good friend to me, and I was sad to lose him.


	3. Recordkeeping With The Dramatic Girls

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it. Never will.

A/N: Early update! Why? Because I am extremely bored. I don't really like the way this chapter came out. Meh…what can ya do…Maybe I'll go back and edit it or something soon.

_**Chapter Three: Recordkeeping with the Dramatic Girls**_

"How's that band going?"

I looked over at Tai, who was waiting for an answer. We were halfway to my place and had driven in silence the whole way. Something must have been going through his mind. I could feel the awkward tension filling the car.

Shrugging, I muttered, "I quit."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just wasn't interested," I didn't want to tell him the real reason. He seemed to believe me, anyway.

I heard him sigh as I watched out of the passenger window. "Yama…I wanna talk to you."

He was slowing down the car. I suddenly knew what he was thinking, and I just wished to be the hell out of that car. I didn't feel like listening to him lecture me about his younger sister, who I recently remembered was overprotected by her older brother.

"I saw Kari sitting with you and that pink-headed girl. Yuki Yano was even there. Why?"

"Um…" I shrugged again. "Why what?"

"Why was that Yuki kid there?"

This was unbelievable. I knew Tai all too well, and he was asking me why Kari was hanging around with Yuki. Knowing his reputation, I wasn't surprised that Tai didn't seem to like it.

I gave him a questioning look. "Because he's my friend?"

"Listen, Yama, I'm not really enjoying watching my sister cry over that fucker. I'm not really into her little friend, so why are they even hanging out with you guys?"

"Tai, it's _their_ decision to sit with us or kiss me at parties, not mine! Why don't you talk to Kari about this, seeing as she actually has some saying in it? I mean, if they don't want to anymore, they don't have to."

He was getting angry. I suddenly remembered how furious he was at the party and got nervous. "I thought maybe you guys wouldn't let them bring in the drama shit they have. They're not like Sora and Mai--Kari and her friend fight _all the time_ and make up _all the time_. It gets annoying, 'cause Kari's always upset about things she's doing, and she never even talks about it to her!"

"Why are you telling me this?" I snapped, getting frustrated myself.

" 'Cause by you and those druggies hanging around them, it makes Kari have to deal with more shit. Like her crush on Yuki is about to make me go the fuck after him."

I felt bad for Yuki, because honestly, Tai can pack a hell of a punch. I had the bruised nose to prove it. And how could Yuki help it if Kari and Mimi both had it in for him? I thought for a second that I should tell him, then my mind pleasantly reminded me of Yuki's past in taking advantage of girls. No wonder Tai was so mad.

"How did you know she likes him?"

"I know Kari."

He was so mad I thought his knuckles were going to burst from gripping the steering wheel so hard. I tried to calm him down by saying, "She seems kind of innocent to me. Why would she go for someone like Yuki?"

"Well…she's been different for a while. It's hard to explain, she just gets attached to people easily."

The conversation was hopeless. I couldn't get it through his head that I didn't have _anything_ to do with the damn situation. How is it my fault that Kari likes Yuki and hangs out with Mimi?

We pulled into my driveway.

"Just…think about it," he told me.

"What's to think about?" I almost snapped, slamming the door. Being friends with that guy again? What the hell was I thinking!

------------------------

"Hey, Yamato," Noah greeted, joining me in the pizza line. I could have cheered.

"I have to talk to you," I sounded so demanding, it kind of scared me. Then, I suddenly felt like a little gossip girl, wanting to tell Noah about Tai and Kari and Yuki. I shrugged off the thought and blurted out, "Apparently, Kari likes Yuki."

Noah blinked before replying. "Um…what?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Who told you _that_?"

"She did yesterday. And Tai…chi told me later." After saying that, I really wanted to kill myself. Why would I even _mention_ Tai around Noah? That was such a stupid move! I had a strong urge to band my head against the wall over and over again.

He looked around. "So…it's true?"

"And I guess she's in a fight with Mimi over it."

"What a lucky guy," Noah muttered dryly. I had to laugh at the sarcasm, then join it.

"Well," I stopped chuckling. "I've always wanted little girls after me, too."

Both of us shared a laugh, adding onto the joke. It made me feel better when we dropped the conversation. I felt like I was living in heaven when he didn't say anything about me talking to Tai the day before. I guess he knew I just didn't want to deal with it.

Only Yuki and Mai were at our table. I studied the area. "Where is everyone?"

"Dai had a test today, and Sora has tennis."

"When's the last time that guy took a damn quiz?" Noah asked, playfully shoving Yuki out of the seat. "Don't the teachers even realize it by now?"

No one said anything about Kari and Mimi, so I didn't either. I was beginning to wonder if Tai gave Kari a lecture about guys like Yuki. Wouldn't surprise me, anyway.

Apparently not, though. The two were sitting with Dai on Wednesday. I took a seat beside Kari.

Mimi had a cell phone opened, distracted by her texting. Dai and Kari looked bored.

"I can't believe he'd do that," Mimi muttered, shaking her head. She looked kind of mad, so I didn't say anything. But Dai didn't seem to get it.

"Didn't he _just_ do the same thing?"

She glared at him. "No,"

"What's up?" I finally asked, eager to know what was happening. I had an idea, but I had to make sure.

"Mimi's boyfriend is cheating on her," Dai explained casually.

Suddenly, she looked at him furiously. If I was Dai, I would have ran. "He's _not_ my boyfriend, and he _isn't_ cheating on me. He just lied to me. No big deal."

I wondered if they were talking about Yuki. "Who's the 'lucky' guy?" I questioned Mimi specifically, not really itching on Dai getting his head ripped off. He was on the edge, and jumping wasn't going to get him off it.

"This guy Phil from the other school."

"Are you dating him?"

"Kind of,"

"She's just obsessed with him," Dai smirked. Yep, he _definitely _didn't get it.

Mimi quickly tied her hair in a ponytail and picked her cell phone back up. "There's this girl, Yolei, and she's _so_ ugly. She thinks he likes her, and he felt bad, so he keeps going on dates with her. Or, so I thought."

"And, really, he's dating them both," Dai added.

What about Yuki? I wanted to ask, but kept my mouth shut. Kari wasn't saying anything, either.

"Wanna come to the bathroom with me, Kari?" Mimi asked, actually acknowledging that she was there. Kari shrugged and followed.

"Where's Yuki?" Dai complained, looking around.

I followed his gaze. "I dunno. Why?"

"I was supposed to stay in class for lunch and write the test I missed yesterday, so I wanna head over to his place. Man, he better be here, or I'm dead for sure. Was he in homeroom?"

"Yeah,"

Mai came over and stopped to talk. I was thankful. I had a thing or two to ask her.

"Were you with Yuki?" Dai desperately asked her.

"Yeah, why?"

He jumped up. "Where! Where is he!"

"Heading to his car, why?"

He didn't answer and bolted down the hallway. I think I heard him crash into something, but didn't pay much attention. I was more into the conversation I was hesitating to start with Mai.

"What were you like last year?"

She looked startled. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, last year, did you fight with your friends all the time or something? Like, get mad at them for stupid reasons?"

Mai seemed like she was about to laugh. "Yamato, _all_ girls are like that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Girls fight--it's what they do. Girls gossip…constantly. Girls spread rumours, no matter if they made it up or someone else did. They just find it fun to tell someone their boyfriend is kissing someone else or something. Everyone does it."

"You don't,"

She shrugged. "I'm different. I don't find enjoyment in making girls miserable. That's why you and Yuki love me."

I laughed.

"Why did you want to know?"

I could have told her about Mimi and Kari, about how confused the situation I wasn't even a part of was making me, but I didn't. I told her I was just curious.

------------------------

On Wednesday morning, Yuki took a seat beside me before homeroom started.

"Those girls are fuckin' crazy, man."

I knew just who he was talking about, but to keep my cool, I had to ask. "Who?"

"Mimi and Kari. People are sayin' me and Mimi are hooking up. I asked Mimi, and she said Kari started it. I asked Kari, even though I already knew it wasn't her, and she didn't do it."

"I thought you didn't care about rumours?"

He shrugged. "I don't. It's just fuckin' annoying they're getting me involved with stupid middle school shit."

I had to think about it. The two girls were only in grade ten, not much younger than us, but they _were_ different than Sora and Mai. I couldn't imagine Sora going behind Mai's back and saying something, especially what Mimi was saying about Kari. It seemed dumb that they were bringing Yuki into this. I really didn't understand.

"Girls are messed," I told him, and he nodded in agreement. "You're not interested in them, right?"

Yuki placed on foot on his desk, the other leg crossing the other, then folded his hands behind his head. "I'm _Yuki Yano_," he explained. "_Yuki Yano _isn't interested in _girls_, _girls _are interested in _him_."

"Ah, Mr. Yano," the teacher called from her desk, "feet?"

He smoothly took them down. His cockiness was getting annoying. I remembered Tai telling me Kari was crying over Yuki.

Then, a thought occurred to me: It wasn't my problem. At all. Some girl fell for some guy. If Yuki wanted to play dumb about it, Tai would be thrilled to have a chat with him. Why the hell was I so worried about it?

------------------------

Well, I shouldn't have been worried. I didn't see a whole lot of Kari after that. Wednesday at lunch, Mimi came over with a huff and explained the whole story to us. I didn't believe a whole lot of it--it didn't seem like Kari would tell everyone Mimi gave that Phil guy head three times.

It was pretty obvious Mimi was fishing around for attention. I don't know why she thought she could still sit with us and that Kari just wasn't allowed. I'd rather have Kari sit in silence than have the blond bitch about everything.

The rest of the guys really didn't seem to notice. Maybe wearing low-cut shirts all the time can distract people from actually _listening_ to you.

However…Monday at lunch, I _did_ see a whole lot of Tai.

I was with only Noah, talking about some test we had that day, when Mimi came over wearing a pout. I didn't know if I could take another stupid complain of hers.

"I'm so mad right now," she warned, and I was thankful Dai wasn't there to make it worse.

"Why?" Noah and I asked at the same time.

She flipped open her cell phone, sitting on Noah's chair. "Apparently, Kari and Yuki had a date on Saturday night. Can you believe it?"

No way, I thought, leaning back. "Why does that bother you?"

" 'Cause I _like_ Yuki," she replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What about that Phil guy?" I reminded, getting yet again a little confused with her world. Then again, what the hell was Kari doing going out with someone like Yuki?

Noah looked at Mimi. "Who?"

"That's over…"

"Onto the next one, huh?" I heard someone behind me say.

Dai stood there smirking while Mimi looked like she wanted to rip him into pieces. I don't know why Dai was always like that--maybe he found Mimi's dramatic life funny. _I _should have, to tell you the truth.

Luckily, she decided to ignore him. "So, I'm gonna have a talk with Kari after school."

"Why?" I snapped. "She likes him, too, y'know."

I don't know why I stuck up for Kari like that. I was probably fed up with Mimi's attitude about ridiculous things.

"Why does everyone always take _her_side?!" she cried. "Why doesn't anyone see that she's actually worse than me?! People say she's so _innocent _when really, she's not! Why does no one see that?"

Dai shook his head. "Man, you're weird. No wonder Yuki doesn't like you,"

So, I couldn't blame her for shouting and storming down the hall. It was a dick thing to say on Dai's part. Noah just looked at Dai him with an irritated look. I did the same.

"Fuck off, Dai," Noah muttered, sounded a bit angry.

"What? She's annoying,"

"She's a _girl_," he explained. "They're always doing shit like that just to get each other mad."

I didn't argue, because now I actually believed it.

Yuki came over soon enough and pushed me out of my chair. "What's up?"

"Scoring little girls now?" Noah joked. I chuckled. Yuki's never gone out with a girl younger than him before. We all decided it would be the right time to tease him about it, seeing as he used to date frequently. This must have been his first one in months.

"Shut up," he snared.

"Can't find girls your age? All taken?" I added.

The whole cafeteria seemed to mute or something. I turned around and faced Tai, who was eyeing Yuki with anger. I'd seen that look many times, and from the outcome of them, I hurried over to Noah.

"Mind if we step outside, Yano?" Tai asked, crossing his arms across his chest.

My mind went blank. When I heard about Yuki and Kari's date, I didn't even _think_ about what Tai thought of it.

Yuki seemed stunned. He was really known for a fighting find of guy. Now that I think of it, he must have been just talk. Pretty much everyone in the damn school new the soccer team's captain could put down just about anyone.

I wondered what was going through Yuki's mind when he answered, "All right."

Obviously, Noah, Dai, and I dashed behind them, eager to find out what they were going to do. A lot of people came with us, too.

Finally, they were in the football field.

"Know why you're here?" Tai challenged, turning around to look at him.

"I guess," Yuki replied in a moody tone.

"Listen, Yano," He stepped closer to him. "I don't want you touching my sister. I don't want you talking to her, going near her, calling her…I mean, I don't want you fucking _looking _at my sister. Is that clear enough for you?"

Yuki rolled his eyes. "I can't look at your sister? What do you expect me to do, close my eyes when I see her?"

"It'd be appreciated."

Too many people were in my way, but I knew that Yuki threw the first punch. I kept trying to shove people in front of me to see better. Everyone started to spread out when I heard, "Stop it! Both of you!"

Kari had come to Yuki's rescue.

One remained silent, most likely overwhelmed by joy. The other stared at his sister with furiousness. "What!" Tai cried. "Don't tell me what to do!"

"I'm telling Mom," someone near me said, imitating Kari's voice. I let a laugh go.

The fight was over. I had to find something else to do. So…what else was there to do then to follow Tai around?

"You okay?" I asked stupidly.

"Just great!" he burst out, opening his car door quickly. "Yuki's just gonna have another thing coming if I see him today at all. Why would Kari _do_ that? She knew damn well not to tell me what happened if she thought I wouldn't get mad…"

I went to the passenger's side and hopped in, assuming Tai wouldn't care. "I'm sure nothing happened."

"Nothing?" he snapped. "You think asking for an easy lay is _nothing_?!"

"_What!_"

Okay, so Yuki was like that…but I didn't think he'd ever ask someone like Kari for sex. Couldn't he see how innocent she was? Couldn't he see she normally never went for a guy like him? Couldn't he see her brother was a complete psychopath?

"Was she drinking?"

Tai had calmed down a little bit before answering, "No. And thank God she came home early."

I was about to ask him if Yuki was drinking, then blamed myself for being so blind. When is Yuki _not_ drinking? I came up with a little better question. "Hey, where are we going, anyway?"

"Away." he muttered.

"Are we coming back after lunch?"

"Nope."

"So…" I shrugged. "We're cutting class."

"_I _am,"

Well, I could cut class with a furious Tai, or go back to school with kids everywhere asking me, "What's up with Yagami?" and "Is he all right?" with me, dumbfounded, answering, "I don't know…"

"I guess I'll come,"

------------------------

A/N: I promise the next chapter will have less to do with Kari and Mimi, and it will be longer. Sorry for the shortness. And a great big **thank you!** goes out to my reviewers who make me smile ) …expect chapter four next Friday or so!


	4. Arguing With Different Friends

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, to my disappointment, I do not own Yamato, Taichi, Kari, Mimi, or Dai. I'm sure whoever does is making hell of a lot more money than me.

_**Chapter Four: Arguing With Different Friends**_

Taichi and I didn't stay out for long. Just long enough for me to have enough with his complains about his sister. All I could do was say, "Yeah, I know what you mean…"

It was three-thirty, about time for school to end. Tai took me to my driveway.

"Hey, thanks for coming, Yama," he told me before I stepped out.

"Sure, anytime,"

He held my arm for a second. "Do you wanna hang out Friday?"

I sat back down, unsure of what to say. Don't get me wrong, Tai was a great guy and everything, I just didn't know if our friendship could fully grow back. I shrugged. "There's a party at Daisuke M--"

"You know I don't do parties,"

"You did them when you punched me out…" I reminded him playfully.

"When Kari called me sobbing," he put in. "I mean something like coming to my place. Like the old days, you know? Maybe we could play soccer in my backyard, talk about middle school…how about it?"

I smiled, opening the door. "I'll drop by at seven."

------------------------

"Three days," I heard Dai mutter impatiently, "three fucking days."

"Until…?" I asked.

He stared at me blankly. "My party, duh!"

"Countin' down days, are ya?" Yuki gave him a playful punch. "Don't blame you. It's gonna be the shit, unlike these other gay parties we've been having. Who's all going, anyway?"

"Dunno," Dai replied, shrugging. "It's open-house."

That had to be the stupidest thing I ever heard. If you've ever been to an opened-house party, you should know they don't go well. The police are called, your parents are called, you're changed for underaged drinking…you know.

"Aren't you excited, man!" he cried.

"I know I am," Noah answered, coming into the conversation. "And I know Yuki is, too. I mean, the place'll be full of sluts."

We all laughed, making me feel a little worried. I can't make it to Dai's! I realized, feeling shitty. I made plans with Tai. Only a thing for the worst person ever to do. Man, he's gonna be _so pissed_!

"What about you, Noah?" Yuki challenged. "Who's your girl-of-the-week?"

"Uh…dunno. Don't got one yet. Say hey, who're you taking Dai?"

That made me laugh until I felt like puking. It was probably one of the funniest things I heard in a long time. I don't think I'd ever seen Dai even _holding hands _with a girl, much less taking them to parties.

Dai folded his arms across his chest. "Hey, it's _my_ party. Chick's are gonna be all over me."

"Speaking of chicks," Yuki looked around, "where's our girls?"

"Mimi and Kari?" I asked, shocked.

He stared at me as if I was crazy. "No…Mai and Sora. Ishida, what's gotten into you?"

"Yeah, man," Dai added. "You've been kinda weird lately. What's up? Still coming to my party? Do I even have to ask?"

I froze. They were catching on. I inhaled deeply and slowly. "Dai, I'm…I'm not sure I can make it out to the party. I kinda…you know…have plans or whatever. Sorry, ma--"

"Like a date?" Noah suggested. "Don't matter, bring her along. Dai doesn't care, do you?"

"Nah, not a date. I'm chilling with Taichi Yagami. You know, the soccer captain? Kari's older brother?"

The three just kind of sat there, staring at me.

"No you're not," Yuki snapped.

"Oh, sorry I didn't asked permission first," I rolled my eyes. "What's wrong with him? He's cool, you know. But hey, Dai, I can probably still talk him into stopping my for a few hours. He'd be down with it."

"Yagami isn't coming to the damn party," Yuki practically explained for me. "Plain and simple."

Dai nodded. "I don't want any fights,"

"He won't," I promised. Then I realized why the were rejecting the idea. "Come on, Yuki, get over it. Dai, you'd be pretty pissed if Yuki went after _your _sister."

"If Yuki was dating my sister, he'd be doing us a favour." Dai corrected, and I nodded in agreement Jun was pretty annoying sometimes. "But, Yamato, I've this party planned for _three months_! How often do you think my parents go out for an entire weekend? Once a year! Once a fuckin--"

"That's not the point!" Yuki stressed. "He's ditching us for Yagami, Dai!"

"So, just because you wanted to sleep with Kari, it means I can't hang out with Taichi?"

Yuki was getting mad. "Listen, Ishida…"

"Dai said so himself that _he's_ friends with him! Didn't you, Dai?"

Dai shook his hands in front of him in defence. "Hey, hey, hey! I play soccer with him, and he _is_ a cool guy who kicks ass on the field, but I don't think we've ever hung out outside of school. Other than soccer, I haven't done anything else with him."

Suddenly, Noah burst out in laughter. I don't know why, but it really made me pissed. He was staring at me the whole time.

"I mean," Dai continued, "he's a jock."

I stood up. "So are _you_! You play more sports than anyone I know!"

"Yeah," Noah's laughter was finally over. "But Dai doesn't hand out with the rest of those guys, he hangs out with us."

"What is this, High School Musical Remix?" I asked, remembering that horrible movie. "I want to head over to Taichi Yagami's, okay? I don't think I want my other friends saying I can't because he almost beat the shit out of Yuki."

Yuki stepped up in front of me. "Ishida, you don't wanna go there," he said in a warning voice.

"What're you gonna do?" I yelled. "Beat me up? Can you even do that?"

Without seeing if he could, I walked away. I mean, I really suck at fight…why take a chance like that?

------------------------

After school I had no ride. I had to take the fucking bus.

When I walked down the isle and watched the freshmen scram out of my way, I was wishing that I could have been a little nicer to Noah. I mean, what junior takes the fucking _bus_ after school?

Well, I decided, taking my seat in the back, it would be a dick move if I missed Dai's party just to go to Tai's. No wonder the guys were so mad about it. As far as they were concerned, Tai was a cocky, know-it-all jock who didn't care about anyone but himself. I guess he was like that sometimes, but Yuki is self-centered twenty-four/seven.

I got a call a few hours later. And let me tell you, I wasn't too happy to hear Noah's voice asked,

"What are you doing?"

I groaned. "What are you talking about? Why are you so mad?"

"So mad? Nah, Yamato, I ain't mad, just a little worried."

"Worried?" I blinked. "You're kidding. Guess what? I have other friends. Big deal! Do you think I'd care if you or Yuki were ditching me for some other guy?"

"Yeah, you would."

Feeling insulted, I cried, "No, I wouldn't!" when the truth was, I'd be a little pissed. I said slowly, "I'm coming to the party, but I'm going out on Saturday. With Tai. Is that all right with you? Do I have your _permission_?"

There was a pause. "Listen, man, I don't look at the situation like Yuki and Dai do. They're just pissed you're missing the party. I, on the other hand, am pissed because of what you've told me about this guy. Remember? That thing about middle school? Seriously, why would you even _consider_ hanging out with him again after that?"

"Oh," I muttered, getting a little embarrassed. "Noah, just forget about that. It was such a long time ago…"

I was surprised at how calm I was acting. To keep it that way, I hung up. Then dialled Tai's number.

"Yeah?"

"Hey, it's Ishi--er--Yamato. I really--"

"Glad you called," he interrupted. "Real sorry, Yama, but I'm kinda having second thoughts about Friday."

"…what?"

"Yeah. I completely forgot, but I got a date."

------------------------

It was official. I, apparently, was going to Dai's party. Without Tai.

At lunch on Wednesday, everyone seemed to be in a little better mood. It made me feel less nervous until Yuki slapped my shoulder. " 'Sup, Ishida?" he greeted, giving me this weird smile. My nervousness came back.

"Uh…hey."

Since Dai and Noah were sitting at the table, I remained standing, biting my pizza awkwardly. I had no idea what was going on. They were all staring at me, not saying anything, wearing the same smile as Yuki's. My first thought was, _Noah told them_. I glanced over at him, but he didn't seem to look guilty at all. Just creepy.

"What's up?" I finally asked.

"Ishida, you're going to that party," Yuki explained, still smiling. "Yagami isn't coming, though."

Suddenly, I felt frustrated. "Holy shit, I know, all right?"

"You don't get it," Dai said.

"We think we found the perfect date for you…" Noah told me. "She's got these brown eyes that'd drive you crazy, straight hair, nice figure…But the best thing about her is that she's so…_innocent_."

"I'm not going to the party with Kari," I replied, catching on.

Yuki's smile finally broke. "But, man, she's crazy about you!"

"How do you know?" I asked. "_You're_ the one she's been after lately. Besides, I kinda don't want Taichi busting my teeth out."

"Want some advice?" Yuki interrupted, ignoring my comment. "She ain't all that easy."

"Did you guys tell her I like her or something?"

"Nope!" Noah cried, pushing me towards the stairs. "You are! You're gonna go right downstairs and ask her to go on a date with you Friday night. She asks where, you say Daisuke's party. Get it?"

I couldn't believe it. They were doing something that was so junior high school. What did they think they were proving? _Especially_ Noah?

"I think I will," I snapped, walking down the stairs.

When I reached the bottom, I looked up at the guys. They were watching intensely. Dai was smirking, Noah was laughing, and Yuki was giving me a supportive wave. I returned it before walking to the table of four where Hikari Yagami was sitting at.

Yet did they know, when I arrived, I was saying,

"Hey, Mimi, what are you doing Friday night?"

------------------------

I didn't tell anyone I asked Mimi instead of Kari. But since I suck at lying, especially to people I know really well, I couldn't hang out with the guys on Thursday. The day was going by so slowly; I was excited to take a nap on a table.

To my joy, I found Mai in the distance, reading a textbook. Great! I thought, remembering how good she was to talk to.

"Hey!" I called, sitting beside her. "What's up?"

"Yamato, I have a chemistry unit fourth period, I only studied for an hour last night, my sister and her boyfriend broke up so I was up all night talking to her, I've suddenly convinced myself that having my first date in almost a year tomorrow night was a good thing, I'm in a horrible mood, and…" She smiled. "How can I help you?"

"Well…Yuki, Noah, and Dai are gonna be really pissed at me."

Mai wasn't really paying attention. Her focus was on the textbook. "Oh yeah?"

I shrugged. "I wanted to hang out with this guy they don't like on Friday. They tried to make me ask out his little sister so…you know. He'd get mad. The guys don't know it, but I asked that Mimi girl out instead. Am I a bad person?"

She flipped through a page and sighed. "If you ask me, all of you are being a little foolish. Why don't they like your friend?"

" 'Cause he tried to beat up Yuki once."

"So…" She shrugged. "You can't hang out with anyone Yuki's fought before? Yamato, if you keep listening to things the guys say, you'll never have any friends. I'm getting kind of mad at Yuki, too. Ever since he found out Sora likes him, he's been more cockier than ever."

"Yeah," I started to say, then soaked it what she told me. "Wait, Sora likes _Yuki_?!"

Mai groaned an erased something she had written down. "Great. Another formula I forgot about. Listen, Yamato, I'm kind of busy. Why don't you find Sora or something?"

"Can't I stay here and shut up?"

She shook her head, still looking at the textbook. I rolled my eyes. Find Sora? Was Mai completely nuts?

I was a little too angry to even look at Sora. I couldn't believe all these girls were after Yuki. What was so special about him? Did girls like his cockiness for some reason? It was like one of those things I'd never know about.

Well, I thought it would be, anyway.

------------------------

For the remainder of Thursday at noon, I went to the music room and fiddled around with a guitar. I didn't even go to school until fourth period on Friday. The week went by pretty fast to tell you the truth.

I just kept thinking about picking up Mimi. I thought about what'd I say, what'd I do, how I'd act…but by the time I got there, the only thing I could think about was,

_Her house is fucking huge_.

I couldn't believe it. It was like a mansion or something. There was this swing-set in the front yard and a few flamingos. Maybe there was more--I was too focused on wondering how rich she was.

One of my top pet peeves is ringing doorbells. Especially your dates' doorbells. You always wonder if her family's psycho or complete Jesus-lovers. I knocked loudly.

What really made me nervous, though, was hearing someone yell, "Somebody get the goddamn door!"

A few minutes later, a man appeared.

"Who are you?" he sneered.

I noticed he had a beer bottle in his hand. There was hesitation in my voice while I answered, "I, uh, I'm here to pick up your daughter. Is she ready?"

He stared at me for a second. "I don't even know if she still lives here."

"For Heaven's sake!" I heard a woman cry. "Leave the kid alone, Jack!"

An older lady who looked exactly like Mimi came to the doorway. "Jack, go lay down. Hi, sweetie, you're here for Mimi, right?"

I nodded slowly.

"Mimi!" she yelled up the flight of stairs, then turned back to me. "You'll have to forgive Jack's behaviour. He's been fairly stressed out recently." She paused. "It's so odd to have you come to the door like this. Mimi's dates always wait in their car and honk for her. Don't you find that strange?"

"Uh…yeah," I muttered, remembering her say something about waiting in the car.

"Now, are you driving tonight? I'm not one for drinking and driving…"

A weird feeling took over my stomach. "No, I'm not drinki--"

She smiled. "Thank gosh! Are you ordering her a taxicab? How will she get home? What are you doing after the party?"

"I--I don't know yet…"

"If you order a taxi, I can pay for it," she told me, handing me a ten dollar bill.

Refusing to accept it, I answered, "Uh…ma'am, I don't really think I'm drinking or anything like that,"

"Oh, please. It's a high school party! I was there less than fifteen years ago, I know how it is. I'm only thirty-one, you know."

Thirty-one? I thought. Okay, now I'm _allowed_ to think she's hot.

Finally, Mimi came down the stairs. She looked stunning. Her hair was curled and her clothes were kind of…revealing. I think my jaw was dropped or something. Honestly, I don't think I ever saw her look so good.

"No later than one, Mimi, all right?"

Mimi laughed. "Whatever. I'll be home around three."

Before the older girl could reply, the younger one rushed out the door and jumped into my car. I felt really weird for some reason.

"Those your parents?" I asked.

"Unfortunately," she muttered, taking a liquor bottle out of her purse.

The whole car ride was kind of awkward. Mimi seemed emotional or something, taking chugs from that bottle every few minutes. I felt a little bad. A little.

I pulled into Dai's driveway. "Ready?"

"Uh-huh!" she cried enthusiastically. I guess she took more chugs than I thought; she seemed a little bit happier.

The party was anything but empty. Music was playing loudly, most people were dancing, some people were talking, some drinking, some laughing…you know. I was I getting really stoked.

Mimi grabbed my hand. "I love parties," she was saying. "They get me away from my stupid parents. Didn't I tell you to wait in the driveway?" She smiled. "Aw, Yamato, you're just too cute, wearing that black shirt. Why is it that you're not into me? What's there to not like?"

"Mimi, how much did you drink?"

She showed me the bottle. "Not that much. Stop worrying."

There was so much left, I couldn't believe that she was so drunk after a few chugs. I had to take the bottle from her. "I don't think you should drink anymore. You're drunk as hell right now, anyway."

"Whoa re you, my mother?" she snapped, snatching it back.

"No, actually, I'm your date, and I really don't want to take care of some drunk girl the entire night. C'mon, Mimi, don't be stupid. You're _plastered_."

"I'm completely sober, thank you very much!"

"Hey, Ishida!" I heard, and looked over to see Dai. He was pretty plastered himself. "When'd you get here?"

"Just now," I said.

"You see Yuki anywhere? Or Noah? I'd like to see who they're bringing for dates."

"Go find them," I suggested.

He didn't even notice I had Mimi with me instead of Kari. It was probably because Dai didn't drink too often, so it had completely slipped his mind.

Mimi tugged my arm. "Let's do something, I'm bored."

"Want to get something to eat?"

She shook her head. "I kinda wanna go upstairs. How about you?"

Okay, I thought, Mimi's definitely wasted.

I caught a glimpse of Yuki from the distance. He was with Sora, and the image really made me sick. They truly made a horrible couple. I don't think Sora even liked a guy ever since we broke up. What was so damn special about Yuki?

"Come on," Mimi pestered, tugging my arm again. "I really wanna be alone."

"Yuki!" I called, ignoring Mimi's offerings.

He saw me and somewhat walked over. "Yo, Ishida. Where's Kari at?"

Mimi glared at me. "Huh?"

"Beats me," I answered. "Why, trying to get some from her again?"

Yuki wasn't being as oblivious as Dai was, rather it was because Dai was stupid or Yuki drank more than twice as much as him. Yuki saw my game and started to play along by saying, "I thought you told us that you're taking her? Oh, hey, Mimi. What's up?"

"Wanna go upstairs, Mimi?" I asked impatiently.

She suddenly smiled. "Okay."

------------------------

I had a few drinks before leading the way. I needed to be non-sober so that I wouldn't feel bad for God knows whatever would happen.

"What do you wanna do?" Mimi asked, opening a bedroom door.

I walked in and dropped onto the bed. "Sleep," I replied honestly.

"Y'know, I'm not really all that tired." she teased, making me glance at her. She was still smiling and she was serious.

"Mimi," I said slowly, "watch what you're doing."

"I like what I'm watching." She sat on the edge of the bed, tracing her finger up and down my foot. "Don't you?"

This was getting me nervous. She was a girl in grade ten that was too drunk to handle herself. She was practically throwing herself at me. I had no idea what to do, so I decided to dismiss the thought by ignoring it.

When she saw my hesitation, she placed her hand on my knee. "Quit being do shy. It's not like you've never had a girl in the bedroom before."

She had a point. Ever since I dated Sora, she was going all over the place. So maybe that was why she liked Yuki.

But I didn't have to feel bad about Sora.

"Mimi, get off me," I stressed.

She started making her hand up my thigh, unsurprisingly making my jeans feel a little tighter. "Come on," she kept saying. "It's not like this is _my_ first time."

My pocket was vibrating. I jumped in confused, along with Mimi, and realized it was my cell phone. Thank god for wireless communication.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Yama, wanna drive?"

------------------------

"How was your date?" I asked as soon as I opened the car door.

He shrugged. "All right. How was the party?"

I was a little busy being startled my the clock. It said it was eleven o'clock. I arrived with Mimi around nine, so had two hours really passed? How long was Mimi pestering me in that bedroom? Two whole _hours_?

"Weird," I answered. "Is that clock right?"

"Mm-hmm."

Then a weird thing happened. Tai was reaching for the gearshift, his eyes remaining on the road, to switch it from _Parked _to _Drive _when, without noticing, his hand brushed against my thigh. I couldn't really believe that he didn't notice.

What I really couldn't believe was that my jeans were getting tighter and tighter by the second. Then I just got freaked out.


	5. Changing With The Emotions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Digimon characters, but I do own Noah and Yuki. And Mai. And Starla.

_**Chapter Five: Changing With The Emotions**_

"Heard you got lucky, Yuki!" I heard someone say as I walked into homeroom.

Yuki shrugged in a cocky way. "What can I say?" He smiled. "The ladies just can't keep their hands off me. I'm like a magnet or something!"

I had to roll my eyes. "Who's the 'lucky' girl?"

"That girl you left at the party. You remember her, huh?"

"Yuki!" I snapped. "She's fifteen!"

He shrugged again.

"You _knew_ it was first her time, didn't you?" I felt my anger raise. "Do you know what that means? She's going to be _obsessed _with you! And you're just going to break that poor girl's heart. Y'know, Yuki, you're really pissing me--"

"Jesus, Ishida," His mood was starting to die down. "She was pretty good for her 'first time' if you ask me. If you don't want her to get hurt so bad, why the hell did you leave her?"

"Because she was trying to sleep with _me_,"

He smiled again and shook his head. "Why didn't you, man? I mean, didn't you see how fine she was?"

"Yeah, she's good-looking, so that means I have to take advantage of her?"

"All right, Ishida, what the fuck is the matter with you? You get Mimi drunk and don't even do anything with her! You've been such a damn girl lately!"

"A girl?" I crossed my arms on my chest. "Since when have I been such a _girl_?"

"Since you've been hanging out with Yagami. Does the soccer captain have some affect on you or something?"

The thought of Friday night came into my mind. A sick feeling appeared in my stomach, then the memory of sitting around the whole weekend and wondering how much I really did drink followed. I was getting really scared of myself.

Yuki continued, "It's not like _you_ haven't fucked a virgin or anything."

I knew just what he meant; Sora's first time was with me, but after we broke up, I heard too many different stories about her. Yuki was basically saying that it was all my fault.

"At least I was dating her, and at least she was sober." was my defence.

The bell rang, startling me. I glared at him and picked up my books. "See you at lunch."

------------------------

"Hey, Yama!"

I didn't have to turn around to know it was Tai. I mean, who else called me 'Yama'? and even though I was happy to see him, I still felt awkward and…uncomfortable. But it could be nice to have some company while I was waiting for the pizza line to at least _move_.

"Hi," was all I said.

"What's up?"

"Uh…nothing."

I couldn't even look at him. I felt ashamed or something. My mind debated furiously. Maybe Mimi had wound me up too much, not to mention the liquor I was chugging. Yeah, I thought, maybe that's what happened.

"Kari went on a date Saturday."

"Really?" I asked. "With who?"

He shrugged. "Some guy who goes to the other high school. I swear, if he tries anything with my little sister, I'll fucking _kill_ him." I could sense Tai's anger, and it was making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"I'd hate to be him," I quietly commented.

"So should he."

I noticed Mai walk by. I waved at her, but she was too busy smiling at Tai to notice me.

"Hey," Tai greeted.

When she was gone, I asked, "You know Mai?"

He nodded. "Yeah," he said, as if I should have known already. "She's the girl I went out with on Friday."

I blinked. I shook my head to shake the thought away, then blinked again. Tai…and Mai. Mai and…Tai?! On a date? Dating? Hooking up? Getting together? I really couldn't see it. Personally, I thought they would look _horrible_ together.

"How was that?"

"Fine. Man, she's cute, huh?"

I laughed. "Careful with her, Tai. She's really good friends with Yuki and them."

"You mean _your_ friends?"

"Oh…" I nodded. "I guess you can put it that way. I don't know, Yuki's pissing me off. He thinks he's in charge of everyone's lives or something when the truth is, he's having problems dealing with his own shit. You know what he did?" I was in a gossip mood. "You know Kari's friend Mimi?"

"Oh God, what did she do now?"

"No, no, no, nothing like that. I took her to a party on Friday and I guess she's cheap when it comes to liquor. We were in some bedroom and she was _all over_ me. When you called my cell, I just ran out of Dai's house as fast as I could."

"Good."

I sighed. "Yuki slept with her once I left."

Tai shook his head. "No way. Yuki is _such_ an asshole sometimes. Is he aware she's just a little girl?"

"That doesn't matter to Yuki Yano. And he was supposed to stay with Sora . His date of the night."

"Sora ? Do you still talk to her?"

Well, I guess I had forgotten that Sora used to hang out with Tai a lot, too, right before me and her started dating. My mind started putting pieces together. Maybe Tai and I drifted off for a reason.

"Uh…yeah, sometimes,"

"Wait--does she like Yuki Yano or something?"

I nodded sadly. "Guess so."

"I wish Sora didn't change. She used to be such an awesome person, do you remember that? What even happened?"

Yep, Tai had definitely hated me for a reason. He must have been after Sora before I flew in and ruined her life. I wondered if he knew _I_ messed her up.

"So, where were you all weekend?"

"Around."

"Oh shit, I've got a soccer meeting," He checked his watch. "Seeya later, Yama."

I stood by myself for a few minutes, amazed that the line had actually moved for a few seconds. Then I realized I didn't even think about what happened Friday night. How could I have possibly forgotten a crisis like that for even thirty seconds?

Mai walked by again and actually noticed me. She was wearing her bright smile.

"Hi, Yamato!"

"Hey, Mai," I looked around and whistled. "How was that date?"

She looked surprised. "Oh. Um…I think it went well."

"Soccer captain, huh?"

"Yep."

Mai was in too much of a lovey-dovey world. I wasn't too happy, so I decided to break it for two reasons: one, I hate being around happy people when I'm upset, and two, I made sure she knew about the Mimi situation. I couldn't help it--someone else had to be mad at him, too.

"_What_?!" she shrieked. "Didn't he take Sora to Dai's party on Friday night, though?"

"Well, he did, then ditched her for the blond upstairs."

Mai was taking deep breaths by this point. "They had _sex_…on _Friday_?!"

I nodded casually. "I was supposed to be Mimi's date, but whatever floats Yuki's boat works for me."

"Okay, stop talking. Why would Mimi go along with it? He a good-looking guy and all, but, I mean, he's Yuki. How would--"

"She was drinking a little. I think it was her first time, too."

Mai started making me nervous. She was glaring at nothing in particular with her teeth clenched. "We…" she said slowly, "are going upstairs…and finding him."

I remained standing, asking, "What?" while she began walking. She turned around and rolled her eyes.

"Come on!" she cried, grabbing my hand.

I couldn't believe she had made me lose my spot in line. But I followed her anyway, knowing how scary Mai can get when she's mad. Maybe I'm an asshole, but she had the right to know. Out of all of us, she was the only one Yuki would really listen to. When she had something to say, she'd say it.

"Yuki Yano!" she called once he was in sight, letting go of my hand. I made sure to continue following her.

He turned around and smiled. "Hey, what's up?"

"I can't _believe_ you!" she shouted, catching Noah's attention and fading Yuki's smile. "Do you know how much shit you caused this school and do you know how damn cocky you are about it? How dare you take advantage of a little girl like that! Sora _likes_ you, Yuki! She likes you a lot. She's already upset enough that so many other girls are after you, why would you go and do that?!"

We were all silent. It took a lot of energy for me to resist laughing. It looked like Noah was going through a similar situation.

"Mimi was coming on to _me_," Yuki calmly replied. "Have you ever thought maybe I actually like Mimi? I mean, too bad for Sora if I don't like her--shit happens."

Mai laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice it could be possible for you to actually like _one_ girl."

"I'm serious!" he snapped. "I was planning on asking her out this week!"

"Is she that good in bed?"

Without waiting for a reply, Mai stomped off. Noah started clapping with fake amazement, though I have to admit, Yuki really deserved it.

I started to walk away before Yuki asked, "Where're _you_ going?"

"Pizza line…why?"

"No, no, no, you're staying right here. We need to have a talk."

Suddenly, both of them were staring at me. I was really starting to feel uncomfortable--it was like having a staring-contest with a hundred different people at once. What did they want? Were they that pissed off at me?

"What's up?" I asked.

"It's an intervention," Noah explained, looked around nervously. "We're kinda worried about you, man."

Yuki nodded. "I want us to be okay, Ishida. Why're you being so…"

"Different?" Noah finished.

"Different…? I'm not being 'different'."

"A month ago if Mimi asked you to go upstairs, you would've _ran_. Now you feel too bad?" Yuki shook his head. "You haven't been down for parties lately, you're feeling all girly on us, you're getting Mai to tell us off…" He pushed my shoulders down, forcing me to sit across from Noah.

Now, I'm not a dumb person. Draw half of a picture for me and I'll catch on. I _was_ being different. A few weeks ago if Mimi greeted me at a party, I'd only _hope_ she'd want to sleep with me. I did change, but it's wasn't for worse…it was for better.

Maybe it was because Tai was always complaining about being an older brother, making sure Kari wouldn't get hurt by any stupid boys. I guess he got me to understand his view on younger girls, so I had the "innocent" vibe from all of the younger girls.

"A month ago was a month ago," I replied dully, not letting what they were saying get through to me.

I stood up and stared at them blankly. I was in no mood to be around them, so I decided to head back to the pizza line without saying a word. They were pissing me off so bad, I was convinced that the next person who came up to me would be punched.

"Oh, Yama, I forgot to mention…"

Well, I thought, I can't punch Tai…

"Tai?"

"Yeah,"

I sighed. "I'm sorry I dated Sora. I knew you were after her, I just…was selfish last year." Something inside of me just burned for me to say that. It sure made me feel better, though.

Tai let out a laugh. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, where'd this come from?"

"Well, I just…whatever."

"You think that's why we stopped being friends?"

I shrugged. "Um…I guess."

"Yama, you wanna know what _really_ happened?…You started hanging out with Yuki Yano and that Noah guy too much, and I hate their fucking guts, so I just stopped hanging out with you once you turned as cocky as Yuki. I mean, when you dated Sora, I didn't really care. If you dated her in grade eight or something, I'd probably kill you."

"Oh." I caught myself smiling. "What did you forget to tell me?"

"Mai has a friend that we think would be perfect for you. We should all go out sometime, you know?"

"Like a double-date?"

He shook his head and laugh. "Well, whatever you wanna call it."

A sick feeling developed in my stomach, but I pushed it away. "Is she cute?" I found myself asking, even though I didn't really care.

"Sure is. I'll probably give you a call or whatever."

------------------------

Tai drove us to the movies and met them there. I wasn't really nervous, just kind of anxious. It was the first night of Spring Break and I hadn't talked to Yuki, Noah, and Dai in over a week, even though I was aware Yuki and Mimi were hanging out a lot. I pretended like I paid no attention, but really, it was weird seeing them together so much. Being out with Tai was a nice way to not think about it.

"You know what?" Tai asked out of the blue.

"Huh?"

"Kari's on her third date with one specific guy tonight. You know what that means?"

I shrugged, getting prepared for a "Kari shouldn't be allowed to date" speech. "What?"

"It's almost official."

"Good for Kari." I paused. "But I guess you're not too thrilled about it, huh? Well, have you met this guy yet?"

He shook his head. "I don't even know his name."

We arrived at the movies, and I was thankful. Tai didn't really complain about anything to Mai, even though I did all the time. We climbed out of the car and greeted the two girls. My date should have been perfect for me. I didn't know her name, but her nickname was Starla. She had long blond hair with a short tank top that you could pretty much see through. Yeah…she _should _have been perfect.

But as far as I was concerned, she was a slut.

"So you must be Yamato," she greeted, growing an approving smile.

Yeah, I'm attractive, I know, I stubbornly thought. "And you're Starla," I replied, not really returning the smile. She didn't seem to notice.

"What's the movie, ladies?" Tai asked, rubbing his hands together.

We ended up seeing some scary movie about this guy going crazy over a number. Twenty-four or twenty-three, maybe. I thought it was kind of stupid, but Starla was really clenching onto my arm big time. I looked over at Tai to ask him if we could leave, but he was a little preoccupied with stuffing his tongue down Mai's throat. I almost puked at the sight.

"I am _so_ scared," Starla suddenly whispered to me, tugging my arm harder.

"It isn't real," I kind of snapped.

She suddenly kissed me. It was kind of weird, and it didn't feel right. It was like kissing someone you had known since you were two years old or something. It wasn't long before I broke it, and I realized Tai and Mai were finally done.

"Do you even like this?" I asked him.

He shook his head. "Not really. I haven't been paying much attention."

I stared at his eyes. They were a chocolate-brown, the kind you could stare at forever and just not think about anything else. The kind that you could just get lost in.

Immediately after those thoughts, I looked away.

"Let's get out of here," I demanded, grabbing my jacket.

A few minutes later we were outside of the movie-house, discussing our favourite parts. I didn't really care much about the conversation. It wasn't really a movie I'd see twice.

"I didn't really get it," Starla commented, sounding stupider than ever. I suddenly remembered Mimi sitting with us at lunch, complaining about everything, pretending to be so stupid. I thought she was so hot, so _amazingly_ gorgeous. Now I just thought Starla was using a dumb way to get attention.

Like when Starla "accidentally" dropped her cell phone and picked it up. You could really see a good view, but instead of inhaling every second of it, I rolled my eyes. I wasn't really acting like my usual self.

My eyes wandered to Tai's stomach. I had never really noticed, but he had a great build. His arms were pretty good, too. I wondered how he looked like without a shirt on.

And my jeans got tighter.

And I grabbed Starla and kissed her again.

------------------------

I had to get out of there.

The way I would look at Tai was too much. The way I looked at Starla was even worse; I looked at her like she was some slut that really thought I would sleep with her any second. Girls like that were so…self-centred.

_No!_ You're not supposed to think that! my mind screamed at me. You're supposed to think she's an easy chick that you could totally score!

And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think about her like I used to think about Mimi. Starla would always be the girl that wore the skanky clothes and made out with me on the first date. Definitely not the way Yuki would see her. Not the way Noah would see her. Hell, not the way _any guy_ would see her. The way…a _girl_ would see her…

My mind went blank. I couldn't think those things. I couldn't think about how built Tai was that night, how stupid Starla looked, how jealous I was of Mai, how gay I was being. Literally.

I felt a weird vibration in my jeans' pocket. I quickly realized it was my cell phone.

"Hello?"

"I'm coming to pick you up," Tai's voice said.

Panic filled my entire brain. "Uh…weren't we just hanging out?"

"Yama, Kari was in a car accident. I'm going to see her, and I'm gonna need someone to come with me. Can I come get you _now_?"

"Yeah, yeah…is she okay?"

Before we could get further into the conversation, a beep came into my ear. The other line was ringing. What great timing. "Hold on," I pestered, then switched over. "Hello?" There was impatience in my voice.

"Yamato, I want you to come meet me at the hospital."

It was my dad. I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why?"

"Takeru was in a car accident."

--

A/N: Okay…I have a rule that my chapters have to be at least three-thousand words. This one came to a little over the minimum whereas most come to way over. Sorry for the short chapter! I thought it would be longer, and sorry for the long update! I now have a full plotline and sections written, such as the ending. Expect the next update around a week or so!


	6. Recordkeeping With The Couples

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Digimon characters, though I wouldn't mind owning Yama for a day or two…

A/N: Just a question out of extreme curiosity…Did anyone guess Kari was dating TK?

_**Chapter Six: Recordkeeping with the Couples**_

He was fucking brutal.

I arrived at the hospital with Tai, and immediately after walking through the doors we separated. My dad was in the waiting room. He said something I didn't really hear. I was walking far too fast to stop and chat.

Then my mom walked into a room. I followed her, assuming it would be Takeru. My guess was right. I saw him laying in a hospital bed, breathing hard.

My mother looked at me and smiled. "Yam--"

"Move," I demanded, then walked over to Takeru.

I think Mom might have left. I didn't really care. My focus was on how many scars were lying on his face, as if it were a mask. His hand was out of the blanket, looking purple and bloody. I was feeling kind of woozy at the sight. I wondered how Kari looked.

"What the fuck happened to you?"

He smiled at me for some weird reason. "I lost my girl. I really screwed up, Matt."

"Man, why didn't you tell me you were dating Hikari Yagami?"

"Didn't…" He took a deep breath. "Didn't think you'd care about it."

I started stroking his hair. Takeru used to mean the world to me. I had always thought about him, always called him…Then suddenly I got wound up in my own life. I hadn't even talked to him in such a long time. No wonder he thought I wouldn't give a damn about what was going on with him. I felt horrible.

"Hikari means everything to me, and I lost her. How could I be so unlucky? How could I be so…stupid, so…" He started coughing.

"Hey! Take it easy, man!"

He stopped. "I hate myself so much, Matt."

There was silence for a second. He really cared about Kari. I wasn't sure what he meant about losing her. Would Kari be mad or something?

"Mind if I have a minute?"

I turned around, startled, to see Tai standing at the doorway. He didn't look mad at all, just kind of…upset.

"Sure," I replied, nodding. "What room's Kari in?"

"Across the hallway," Tai walked slowly towards Takeru.

When I left the room, I figured it would be a good idea to wait outside and listen for a second. I heard silence, then, "You seem almost as bad as she does."

_Almost_ as bad? I thought. Takeru looked pretty awful. How much worse could Kari be?

------------------------

A lot worse. A lot.

Kari had more cuts over her face. There was dry blood everywhere, and even looking at her was making me twice as noxious as I already was. I smiled at her when she looked at me and said in a horse voice, "You came to see me?"

"Yeah, only because Tai would kill me if I didn't." I didn't miss a slight smile showing. "Takeru's my brother, Kari. All he could talk about was losing you."

She sighed deeply. "It can't work. Not after this. I just…Tai…"

I nodded and walked closer to her. It was like looking through someone, knowing what they were thinking. She did really like Takeru and was upset about the situation, too. I could tell by the way her eyes were watering up. They were emotional tears.

"I guess I look pretty bad, huh?"

Almost laughing, I told her, "Not worse than Mimi."

------------------------

The next time I saw Takeru, the nurse was telling me he had actually attempted to sneak out of his room to talk to Kari. What a strange thing to do; he must have really liked her.

I spent the rest of my spring break seeing Takeru and sometimes Kari. They always became so excited when they saw me at that doorway--it sure made me happy.

I went on a few other dates with that Starla girl, just because Tai kept saying it was a good idea. I didn't really think so, but I did it anyway. It sucked to see Tai and Mai holding hands all the time, especially after they made it "official". That must have meant they were allowed to make out in public, because that was all they ever did.

Speaking of couples, Yuki and Mimi had started dating, creating a true shocker throughout the school.

Noah and Dai were talking to me about it once.

"I used to think he was only hanging out with her to prove Mai wrong," Noah was saying. "You remember when she was lipping him? I thought he just wanted to piss her off or something, but I guess not."

Dai nodded. "He's always with her now."

"Ishida, I think he's obsessed."

And I think he was. On their "one month", he got roses sent to her mailbox. Well, that's what I heard, anyway.

But he must not have liked her all that much.

------------------------

I needed to drink off my thoughts. I was just out with Tai, and I was really about to kill Mai if she kissed Tai one more time. Apparently, I had a headache. Tai was looking at me strange while I left the restaurant; I _suck_ at fake-sicking.

After drinking nearly a quart of some substance of liquor, I found myself at a party my friend Lily was having. Once I was there, I saw tons of people I knew. I noticed Dai kissing a girl, which made me mad. Dai could get a girl…how come I couldn't get a good damn guy?

I spotted Lily making out with a different guy every few minutes. She was like that when she drank too much.

Suddenly, Yuki Yano came into my view. It was probably about a month and a half since I had spoken to him. While watching him, I realized he wasn't really the cocky idiot all the girls were going after…he was the incredibly gorgeous boy with a _great_ body.

I was sitting on the couch, pounding more liquor into my system, when Lily came over and sat beside me. I felt like I was dreaming, checking out Yuki, realizing Dai's hair colour was making me jealous, wondering if Tai was thinking about me. I was too hammered to think it was wrong.

"Hello, Yamato Ishida."

"Hello, Lily…" I stopped, thinking hard about her last name.

And we laughed. It seemed so funny at the time.

"Great party," I commented, then felt too drunk to say anything else. I suddenly grabbed her and started kissing her. It didn't feel right, but it wasn't like the time Mimi was trying to sleep with me and I barely controlled myself--it just felt _not right_.

When I pulled away, she started smiling.

"You're a really good kisser,"

I shrugged. I started watching Yuki again, wondering where Mimi was. She definitely wouldn't want him dancing with Sora the way he was. Then he started kissing her neck. Within seconds they were making out like crazy.

Yep, I thought. Mimi _definitely_ wouldn't want him doing that.

------------------------

The gossip was everywhere. Mimi and Yuki were officially an "ex-couple". Well, I could have seen it coming. Yuki and Sora were all over each other at that party. That didn't confuse me--I know Yuki well enough. What really got me wound up was the fact that Yuki and Sora were holding hands on Monday. They were dating.

First of all, they made a _horrible _couple. Secondly, what about Mimi?

I was sitting at a cafeteria table, thinking about my date with Lily the week before, when I suddenly hear, "Where have you been?"

I looked up and saw Tai…alone. For once, Mai wasn't dangling on his arm or attached to his torso.

"Around, I guess. What's up?"

Honestly, I didn't hear what he said. All I could think about was his eyes. They were so deep, I could have stared into them for hours, as if I had gotten lost in a forest or something. Or maybe they were like chocolate candies that I could eat and…

I immediately snapped out of those thoughts.

"Where's Mai?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. She's pissed at me right now, and you know how she is when she's mad."

"It ain't pretty. What'd you do?"

"I guess I didn't pay enough attention to her in a while. I thought I did, but you know."

You hang out with her every fucking day, I thought angrily. How could she not have been pleased with that?

My eyes wandered to his own eyes again. Chocolate coloured eyes surrounded by thick, dark eyelashes were always a nice thing to look at while you were stressed out. They were something you'd love to gaze at when you first wake up in the morning…

_You're fucking gay._

I stood up awkwardly. "I really gotta go." I said, desperate to just get out of there. "Call me tonight or something."

Without waiting for a reply, I dashed into the hallways and looked back. Tai was already gone. Probably to look for Mai. Great. Why did I have to leave? It wasn't really a big deal to think about those…whatever they were. They were just feelings that were burning my insides, trying to force me to tell someone.

_You have to tell him_.

Someone's books landed on the floor as I realized I had completely just crashed into her. I must have been thinking too hard.

"Sorry," I muttered, helping her pick up her books. I silently refused to look at her.

"Mmm…yeah, it's--"

"Hey, Kari!" I cried, looking up to see her surprised face.

Her brown eyes were wide and filled with happiness. The same brown eyes that I was just gazing at moments before. I had never noticed Kari and Tai's eyes were completely identical. Kari's cheeks suddenly turned red.

"Sorry, I guess I was just thinking," she said, sounding embarrassed.

I shook my head, passing her a notebook. "Don't even worry about it." I started to study her face. The scars were becoming faint white lines. She looked so much better since the last time I had seen her at the hospital. "You're looking good there, lady."

The comment made her blush even more. "Thanks. You know…the next time you talk to T.K., can you tell him I'm really sorry? I'd go back out with him, it's just…"

"Yeah," I smiled at her. "Wanna go sit down somewhere?"

------------------------

There was a lot of things about Kari I had never really noticed until that lunch hour. She was so emotional and self-conscious. I'd always thought she was just an innocent virgin, Tai's little sister when really, she was a girl whose psycho brother was too much for her to handle. She wasn't really complaining about it--I could see it in her eyes.

"I can't believe Yuki's dating Sora now." Kari had said.

"Yeah…do you know anything about Mimi? Like how she's feeling?"

She shrugged. "She isn't here today. She called me the other day crying her eyes out, expecting me to feel sorry for her. I told her I wasn't in the mood to hear her complain about something she saw coming."

"You bitch," I teased. She smiled.

"I warned her about him, though. I told her he wouldn't be able to last three months without cheating on her. Sure enough, he didn't even go two."

"What'd she say?"

Kari sighed. "She said I was just jealous that Yuki gave a damn about her and not me."

"Oh…" I frowned. "Don't you worry about her. She's just a pink-haired bitch that wants all the fucking attention she can get. The little slut's succeeding, though."

"I'm not worried about it…I'm happy about it. You know I stopped liking Yuki a long time ago, right?"

I half-laughed. "Any new boys?"

She smiled and shook her head. "I don't really care anymore. I don't want my brother to be after even more people. He really has it in T.K. now."

That got me a little mad. "He doesn't like my brother because he was in a car accident?"

"Well…kind of. That's a bad way to put it."

I rolled my eyes. "I guess I'll just talk to him about it. So you were okay with Mimi dating Yuki? How long ago was that?"

"Um…almost two months ago, I think. I was dating T.K. then, so I couldn't have cared less. It would've been nice of her to ask me first. She always knew I liked him before she even _thought_ about him."

"Yeah," I agreed, then there was silence. I really wanted to know something, but I was too nervous to say it. So I just blurt it out: "Do you know Mai? You know, tai's girlfriend?"

"Oh…I thought they broke up."

"Um, what?"

Kari shrugged. "She used to come over, like, everyday, but I don't think Tai's hung out with her in a week or something. Maybe they're just in a fight. I'd really hate to see them break up. Wouldn't you?"

"Mmm…" I felt a deep stab of jealousy. "Do you like her?"

"Well, yeah. How often do you think Tai has a two month girlfriend?" She suddenly smiled. I really liked talking to Kari--that girl sure can give a smile out. "Well, what's been going on with you, Yamato? I feel like we've been talking about me for hours."

What's been going on with me? I thought, sitting up straight. Well, I get drunk way more than usual because I'm jealous that your brother has a girlfriend, I keep track of all the couples in the school because I don't have anything better to do…

"Other than the fact that I'm gay, nothing really,"

I burst it out. I didn't mean to, but it suddenly felt good.

She didn't say anything for a minute, and I started to feel nervous.

"Does anyone know?"

"Nope. Only you. Kari, you're not gonna tell anyone, are you?"

She shook her head and smiled once again at me. "I won't, Yamato. I promise I won't."

------------------------

I marked off May the ninetieth. I couldn't believe it was almost June. The year had been going by so fast. Then again, three months before, I hadn't communicated with Tai in such a long time. It was weird to think my and Tai's friendship had a two year break in it. I was glad to be friends again, but the feelings I was starting to have were becoming too strong for my own good. It was like what I felt in grade eight, except…more confusing.

I had called Takeru that night. I wanted to talk to him, make sure we were keeping in touch.

"Hey, Matt!"

"Hey, buddy. How's it going."

"Ah, not too bad, not too bad. How about you?"

I shrugged, then remembered I was on the phone. "Not bad. You seem enthusiastic. Any new girlfriend I should know about or something?"

He laughed. "Nah. How's Kari doing? Are her scars healing?"

"Yeah, I talked to her today. She says she's sorry about everything, it's just that Tai's fucking crazy. And believe me…it's true. How's your face?"

It was pretty funny once I said it. We shared a laugh, then he answered, "They're pretty much gone. I still have a bandage on my hand and all, but it's going okay. So Kari's really all right? Are her scars white yet?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Man, I bet she still looks cute."

I smiled. Takeru must have _really_ liked her. "Yeah, she does. Hey, are you okay with the Tai thing?"

"Uh…I guess. I wish I could have it another way. What about you, any new girls _I_ should know about?"

Nope, just a guy, I thought, smirking to myself. "Nah. Still flyin' solo."

We started talking about school or something until he had to go. It felt good to keep track with Takeru. I was really starting to feel like a good brother. And what every good older brother should do is lip people who hate them for getting into car accidents.

My on-going thoughts reminded me of how Tai supposedly hated _my_ brother because he was in a car crash. I picked up my phone and began dialling his number.

He picked up first ring.

"Hey, it's me."

"Oh, I was expecting Mai."

"Yeah, and I was expecting my brother to be decently happy with his romance life. You have it 'in for' my little brother now because of this? That's what I've been hearing."

I heard a groan. "Yama, what're you talking about?"

"I heard from Kari that you don't want her dating Takeru anymore. You know, Tai, he really liked her. All he would talk about was her at that damn hospital. It isn't his fault, you know. He feels so bad that--"

Tai started laughing. "He told me he didn't want to date her anymore because he didn't deserve her or something."

I paused completely. I just made myself look like a huge idiot in front of Tai. "I'm…I'm sorry."

I knew he was almost laughing, so I changed the topic. "I heard you and Mai are having some problems. Kari said you guys haven't hung out in a while or something."

"I guess you could say that. She just thinks I don't listen to what she has to say. Supposedly I'm getting to 'distracted' about things." I heard someone talking in the background and Tai snapping at them. I few seconds later, Kari came onto the phone.

"Hi, Yamato."

"Hey, Kari."

"What are you doing Friday?"

I thought about it for a second. "Nothing really, I guess. Why, what's up."

"Oh," I could feel her smiling. "There's just this little party I was invited to, and…well…I don't really have a date yet, so…"

"I'll pick you up at seven," I told her in a fake-annoyed voice.

Tai immediately came onto the phone and said, "_What_?"

"Oh come on. I'm just taking Kari to a stupid party. You know nothing really happens at those things. I'm not gonna drink."

"Nothing goes on at those things? Yeah, except for Yuki fucking everything with two legs!"

"Oh my God, Tai," I pestered. "Would you rather have me take your little sister to the party, or some other creep?"

He was silent, and I knew I had him there. "Okay," he gave in. "This better not be anything serious. How come you two are talking all the time now?"

"Huh?"

"You know, like when she told you me and Mai were having problems…?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm hanging up now."

" 'Kay. Seeya tomorrow."

I heard the dial tone, but I didn't want to hang up the phone.

"I don't like seeing you with Mai," I told the dial tone, pretending it was Tai. "I hate seeing you hold hands with her. I hate it when people ask me if I'm dating a girl. I hate it when people think I'm not gay."

I received no reply. That's what Tai would probably do if I had actually told him.

"I hope you know…I think that Starla girl who's friends with Mai is a huge slut who acts stupid for some damn attention."

Again, no reply.

"Just like Mimi. You know, Kari's friend? Tai, I haven't dated a girl since Sora. That was such a long time ago…more than a year now. But I don't care. Ask Kari, I'm gay, and I hate it, because there's no one else in our school who is."

I felt really stupid. Before I was aware of the thought that I was going crazy, I said,

"I fucking love you, Tai."

And that wasn't even the worst part of my little monologue…

It was the fact that it was all true. Especially that last part.


	7. Ending With The Dramatic Girl

**Disclaimer:** …you know.

_**Chapter Seven: Ending With The Dramatic Girl**_

Kari shook her head at me. "You're not drinking all of that, are you?"

"Of course I am,"

"You've been acting weird all week. What's wrong?…You know you can trust me…"

"You _know_ what's wrong with me."

Kari laughed and took my hand. "I'm so excited. This'll be my first party I've been to in a long time. I bet we'll see Yuki and Mimi. Won't that be awkward…" After a few minutes of silence, she suddenly said, "C'mon, Yamato. You know you wanna talk to me."

I kind of wanted to, but it was too risky. For the past few days I had been hanging out with Kari, getting to know her as almost a _sister_, but telling her about Tai?

"Guess life's just getting hard," I muttered, taking a small sip.

She dragged me inside the house and I sighed. It was weird to think I used to go to parties twice a week; now it just felt boring. I mean, all people do dance and drink. What could possibly be fun about that?

Just like Kari predicted, Yuki was inside, dancing with some girls beside Noah. Lily was one of them. No sign of Mimi, though. Last I'd heard she was still upset about Yuki dumping her for Sora.

"Hey!"

Dai was standing there, grinning his cheesy smile. He was clearly drunk.

"Oh, you're talking to me?"

He shrugged. "I don't really care, I'm not immature like Yuki and Noah. I haven't hung out with them lately. Yuki's a little psycho now."

"Psycho?"

"Yeah…him and Sora broke up earlier tonight."

Explains the girls, I thought as Kari and Dai started talking about something else. I looked around for other people when I heard,

"Who's the lucky girl?"

I faced Lily. She was wearing that big "What are you hiding?" look.

"Oh, Hikari Yagami. You know Taichi, the soccer captain? His little sister."

Lily studied us. It made me feel a little nervous. Then she just bounced off and started dancing with Yuki. I always wondered if they'd date or something--they were so much alike.

"What happened to Yuki and Sora?" I asked Dai, who seemed to have been hitting on Kari.

"Huh? Oh! Um, he did something last night. I've heard he yelled at her, slept with someone else, slapped her…the list goes on. Gossip's pretty stupid, huh? I just know she broke up with him for sure."

Dai was always…"social" while drinking. He would yak on and on, but I liked that about him.

He suddenly walked away and took Kari with him. I had to bite my lip--Dai was definitely into Kari. I had never seen him flirt with someone, but I couldn't blame him--Kari looked _cute_ that night.

"Hey, Ishida!"

I knew it was Yuki before I turned around and was hit by a fist.

"You wanna go outside?" he demanded, grabbing a hold of my collar.

"Oh, fuck off, Yano!" I heard someone say.

I really wished Tai was there. Or Mai. She would really give him a piece of her mind. But there was no one, so I had to fight my own battle. I'm not gonna lie; I was nervous. I hadn't fought since grade nine. I had to make sure not to show it, though.

"Fine," I snapped, shoving him away from me.

The whole party followed us. I tried to focus on how much talk Yuki was.

It wasn't working.

When we reached grass, I asked, "What's up?"

He answered my question by pushing me, shouting, "You're a fucking fag, that's what's up!"

I didn't have to say anything back. We were at it. Yuki was filled with so much anger that he was pretty much winning. But I couldn't let him go around to the entire school and tell everyone he beat me up. He slugged me hard, and all I could think was,

_The little cocky fucker is gonna get fucking killed_…

I pinned him to the ground and punched him back. My knees were on his elbows, giving me the chance to punch him a few mores time.

I hit him once.

"That's for cheating on Mimi."

I hit him again.

"That's for whatever the hell you did to Sora."

I hit him one last time.

"…and that's for callin' me a fucking fag!"

I stood up slowly and wiped blood off my lip, looking for Kari. I found her face in Dai's shoulder, almost shaking.

"C'mon," I grabbed her hand. "We're heading to your place. I think I'll spend the night or something."

Everyone was staring at me as if I was supposed to be dead. Yuki was laying there, breathing heavily, blood coming out of his mouth. I felt like kicking him.

I really did.

------------------------

According to different people, Yuki was acting weird all weekend. No one really knew why Yuki was trying to fight me. A lot of people were really mad at him and I still don't know why.

"I'm really sorry, Ishida." Noah had said during first period that Monday. "I think he was just really pissed at Mimi."

"Why would he be?"

Noah shrugged. "Friday he called Mimi and asked her to take him back but she said no."

"So…why would he fight _me_ for it?"

"I have no idea."

Later that day, I was encountered with some new information. By none other than Lily.

I was having a decent, normal conversation with Lily about Yuki when suddenly she asked, "Yamato, you wanna tell me why grade ten girls are the new fad?"

"Huh?"

"You and Kari," she stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I laughed. "Hikari Yagami? Noah, we're just friends."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Matty, everyone knows it. Like when you two left and had a 'slumber party'. Gossip talks, you know."

"Maybe I was at _Taichi's_ house. Come on, Lil, you know I don't do relationships. Never have since Sora."

Lily just looked at me for a few seconds, then walked away. I found it funny, but later that day, a lot of other comments were made. I almost got into a fight with someone who asked me if Kari was good in bed. I hate gossip. I hate people that have nothing better to do than spread rumours about someone else.

I was probably most nervous for the rumours to go around to Tai. He was gonna kick my ass for sure.

------------------------

The next day, I was supposed to wait for Kari at one of the downstairs table. I became too impatient and headed to the pizza line instead. On the way, I heard someone shout, "Hey!" in a frantic way. "Hey, wait up, Yamato!"

Dai ran over to me and grabbed his knees, inhaling hard. "I need…some help."

"Sure, what's up?"

He hesitated. "You know Kari, right? Well, um…you're not dating her, are you?"

I shook my head.

"Well, I kind of…I _think_…I might be a little, you know, interested in her. So do you know how to make her like me or something? Ugh, don't tell anyone about this…especially Noah and Yuki…"

"Isn't Yuki kinda crazy now?"

Dai nodded. "You mean in the way of not talking to anybody about anything and looking for Mimi everyday? Yeah…he called me the other night crying his eyes out. Ask Noah, he has some stories, too."

Crying? I thought, my eyes widening. I had never seen Yuki cry before. And over some girl?

"But anyway, next time you talk to Kari, mention me or something."

"Sure," I said, slapping his back. He walked away quickly when he saw Kari malking our way.

"Do you like Dai?" I immediately asked her.

She smiled. "Daisuke? Um…I don't know. He's cute and all…and he's exactly like Tai used to be a few years ago…I could like him if I wanted to. Why, does he like me?"

"No," I replied quickly, half-laughing. "You were just kind of into him at that party."

"Oh, and guess what I've heard."

"Huh?"

She looked up at me as if she would start laughing. "That we're dating."

We both shared a laugh while I wondered if Kari would date Dai. I sure hoped so; he'd really owe me a favour or two.

------------------------

I was stressed on Wednesday. I had found out there was a unit test fifth period, and Tuesday night, I couldn't even remember anything about it. I was sitting at a lunch table reading some notes when Mimi joined me. It was a pleasant surprise , but I didn't want people to get the wrong idea.

"Yuki's stalking me," she announced nervously.

"Um…what?"

"He waits for me in the hallway after all my classes, he watches me all the time, he texts my cell phone constantly, and I don't understand what the hell is going on."

I was stunned. This information really didn't seem like Yuki.

"Didn't he break up with you?"

"Well, he cheated on me, then dumped me. I don't know why he's suddenly so insane. He pretty much _begged_ for me to go back out with him."

I didn't believe her. Yeah, he probably did cheat on her multiple times, but begging for her to come back? It really seemed messed up. How could Yuki act so out of character?

"Did you do anything to him?"

"Well…I think he may have found out something about me."

I shook my head. "Sorry, Mimi. You lost me. You're gonna have to explain the whole story to me."

"Okay," She took a deep breath. "After a while of being with me, Yuki kissed Sora or something at a party and broke up with me. Like a week later, we were hanging out and he told me he ended it with Sora. So I kinda…you know…slept with him. Don't say anything!"

"Wasn't gonna. I thought Sora broke up with Yuki?"

Mimi nodded. "She did. _After_ Thursday night. So then Yuki called me and asked me back out, but I told him I like…one of his friends. Well, that's enough about me. Yamato, are you dating Kari?"

"No, but I sure do wish people would stop asking me that."

"So you don't think she's pretty?"

I looked up at her and blinked a few times. "Uh…Mimi, just because I'm not dating her, doesn't mean I don't think she's pretty."

"So…" She slouched. "You _do_ think she's pretty."

"What are you talking about? Why do you even care?"

Mimi shrugged and developed a pissy expression. I realized she might have been a little jealous and clued in. She probably had a crush on me or something. I still couldn't help but think of her as a cry for attention, though.

Suddenly, she stood up and slowly walked away, probably hoping I'd call after her.

But I didn't care.

------------------------

I called Tai that night for no particular reason. I just wanted to talk to him since he was with Mai all week.

"Hey, you know Yuki Yano, right?"

Tai laughed. "You know I know him. Why, what's he up to now?"

"Mimi told me he's stalking her."

He was silent for a few seconds. "Um…stalking? What the hell, what do you mean _stalking_?"

"Like following her everywhere. You know what's happening, don't you? It's all of his anger rolled up into one situation. He's been pretending nothing can touch him for a long time, even when his parents split up. It's like he's finally snapping or something."

"Yama, aren't you mad at him?"

I shrugged. "Why would I be?"

He laughed. "Gee, I don't know…maybe because he tried to fight you at a party for no reason?"

I rolled my eyes. "He's just angry."

"Give me the phone!" I could hear Kari yell.

A few seconds later, I heard Kari say, "You seemed upset today. How come?"

"Kari, do we have to keep having this conversation daily?"

"If you don't tell me what's wrong? Then yeah, yeah we do. Oh, and you're good at music, right?"

"Decent."

I heard her sigh. "Good. I need help studying. You know our exams are next week, right? Then we're on the summer break! Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah. I completely forgot about our exams, though. I'll come over tomorrow night, okay?"

I hung up the phone and laid on my bed. The year had faced so many changes--Yuki had two different relationships, Takeru was in an accident, me and Tai were talking again…it was hard to believe all of this was in only a few months.

------------------------

"It's not going good," Kari greeted as soon as she opened the door.

I looked around the Yagami's house. I hadn't been there in such a long time it was weird. I remembered the time when Tai and I played with toys in the basement then our friend (I forget his name) fell down the stairs. He had to get so many stitches.

"What's not going good?"

"Mai and Tai. He told me he's breaking up with her, so he'll be gone for a while."

I blinked. "They're breaking up? Why?"

"He didn't say. Anyway, my parents are gone out for their anniversary tonight, so we've got the house to ourselves."

"Okay."

We stood in silence for a few minutes. Kari was staring at me as if expecting something. "What?" I snapped, taking a seat on the couch.

"You can tell me now."

I laughed. Tell Kari about my feelings for Tai? There wasn't a chance in _hell_ I would tell her. I would rather tell Tai himself. I would rather tell Takeru than her. There was just no way I could tell her first.

We worked away on the music for a while as I missed the easiness of grade ten. All you had to study was chords and what line the notes are on.

"Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge and Face are some words that'll help."

"You mean…like…this?"

"No, that's a bass clef. You have to--"

The door opened. We both faced Tai and smiled at the same time.

"How'd it go?" Kari suddenly asked, and without saying anything, Tai threw his car keys on the coffee table and walked out of the room.

"I guess not well," I muttered once he left. Kari laughed.

I started gazing into the stairway where he was walking up and sighed. I didn't know if I was happy to see Tai end it with Mai or not. He seemed really happy to be with her…was I some sort of reason?

"Oh my God!" Kari whispered, interrupting my thoughts.

"Huh? What?"

"You're into Tai. I can't believe it…you like my _brother_!"

How did she do that? I wondered, shifting my eyes around the room, embarrassed. "No I don't," I kept saying, but it was too late to convince her.

"So _that's_ what was wrong with you all week! Everything makes sense now!"

"Kari, shut up!"

She smiled. "Aren't you happy Mai's gone fr--"

"No, as a matter of fact, I'm _not._"

I stormed out of the house, too embarrassed to even look at Kari. I think my hormones were a little messed up or something. Maybe knowing Tai was just upstairs was making me angry. I don't know why.

------------------------

Needless to say, Kari and I made up. Tai talked to me the next day about Mai; he just didn't feel the same way as he had before. I nodded slowly, wondering if that made me happy or sympathetic for Mai.

Mimi happened to call me three times that weekend. I was at Tai's during all three calls, so I could only picture how furious she must have been. For some reason she really wanted to hang out with me. I had to wonder if her crush was going a bit too far.

"You're with Kari, aren't you?" she had demanded, making sure her anger was showing.

It wasn't until Monday that things really started to get weird.

Tai, Kari, and I had just arrived to school. I was getting nervous--I hadn't studied at all for the exam. And science was one of my worst subjects. We were chatting casually as we reached the back door when I realized I forgot my books in Tai's car.

"Shit. Pass me your keys, Tai, I forgot something."

Kari giggled at me. I glared back.

It was such a shame that Tai's car was parked so far away. I took my time anyway, knowing I had twenty minutes.

When I closed the car door and threw a book bag strap over my shoulder, Mimi was suddenly there.

"Hi," I muttered, resisting the urge to roll my eyes.

She smiled. "Did you get my text messages? I might've done it wrong or something. You know how weird it is to get a new cell phone, huh?"

"Uh…yeah."

"I was thinking we could do something after school. Just the two of us. We could get some ice cream or something. Sounds fun, doesn't it?"

"Nah, I'm heading over to Taichi's place for a while."

She gripped her books tighter. "You…you mean Kari's house."

I shrugged. "Whoever's."

There was silence as we reached the doors. Before I could open one, I heard, "You might as well tell everyone, Yamato. We all know about the situation."

"What situation?"

Mimi frowned. "About how Kari can get laid and I can't."

I stared at her. Why would she think I was sleeping with Kari? Did she make that up or hear it somewhere else? I was really getting sick of stupid gossip.

"If I was going out with Kari, why wouldn't I tell anyone?"

"So that Taichi would get mad!"

"Ohh, you have this whole fucking rumour all planned out then. Who else am I dating, Mimi? Am I dating _you_ now?"

She started growing tears while claiming, "I didn't make it up! Why would I make something like that up if it kills me to see you two together?"

I groaned. "Listen, Mimi, you need to leave me alone. Just because Yuki's obsessed with you, doesn't mean everyone else is."

She stared at me with her mouth opened wide and her eyes dripping as if she couldn't believe what I said. Suddenly, she picked up her books and threw them into the school window, shouting, "I like you, you fucking idiot!"

I watched her storm away while wiping tears. But there wasn't any satisfaction--just guilt. I thought maybe I'd apologize to her the next time I'd see her at school…

But she never showed up at school again.

------------------------

Even though the science exam was freaking torture, all I could think about was Mimi. I felt so bad, like I had just caused so many problems to so many people. I opened my front door and fell face first onto the couch. I finished my exam after Tai's so I couldn't get a ride home with him and Kari. Instead, I took the freaking bus.

I screamed into a pillow. That always makes me feel better.

A knock on the door startled me. I groaned loudly and rolled off the couch. Who ever it is, it better be important, I thought, frustrated.

I opened the door. Tai was there, and in a second, he was kissing me.

I didn't bother to protest. I grabbed his neck and kissed him back, and for once, it felt right. It didn't feel like kissing Lily or Starla…it felt like it was what I needed to do. It made me so happy, and it sure as hell made me want more.

Tai pulled away and smiled. "Kari told me."

Everything was happening so fast. All I wanted to do was kiss him again. I could feel my smile and I couldn't get rid of it.

"This is never gonna work," I whispered, too happy to say anything else.

"I don't care." Tai smiled. "Wanna get some ice cream?"

------------------------

A/N: This isn't the last chapter, but if you want to call it that, you can. I have a very short eprolouge written to explain what's happened that summer, and if you want it up, let me know. If you think it should stay this way, tell me.

Sappy ending…I know. My next Taito story'll be a little bit more dramatic. Look for it in December!


	8. Epilogue

**Disclaimer**: I don't own anything. This is purely for my entertainment, and yours.

A/N: Yes, at last here is the months awaited epilogue. I apologize for it being so late. I feel sad ending this story, as it brings back memories of while I was writing it, the experiences I've personally had that I put in this story, etc. Enjoy, and don't forget the final review: )

Also on a second note, I have posted the first chapter of another Taito fic that'll surely be filled with less high school drama and more focus on romances. Second chapter will be up this weekend, so look forward to it!

Thank you to all the readers who have stuck with this story from chapter to chapter. Now that I look back on it, I try to convince myself to re-write it sometime, maybe in a while. I guess a story is never really completely finished.

_**Epilogue **_

It was a Thursday was I was sitting on a bleacher, drinking as much water as I could find, waiting for Tai to get done his damned soccer game. I don't think I'd ever been so overheated in my life.

There was a weird time Tai and I had when school was over. We had no idea what we were doing, so we had to sit down and talk about it.

"It's so…different," I remember Tai saying. "I don't know how to act around you."

I couldn't say anything. The only thing I could think of was, _We're going to break up_. But we didn't. We figured out a way it would work--we just simply wouldn't tell anyone until grade twelve.

I just didn't want to deal with coming out to my parents and classmates until Tai and me were totally comfortable with each other. The summer was for me and Tai, and no one else was going to stop that.

We were in the mall in June, teasing each other and joking around, when Noah walked by us. He looked at me in such a weird way, like he knew we were dating.

And he simply smiled and nodded, like he was happy for me. I always knew Noah was different than Yuki.

Tai ran over to me and stole my bottle of water. "I'll be out in a few minutes, okay?"

I rolled my eyes, knowing a few minutes meant ten. "Give me your keys."

"What?"

"Give me your keys, and I'll wait in there."

Tai dug through his pockets and hesitated. "Geez, Yama, you're getting pretty pissed off."

"Well, it's like a hundred degrees outside, okay? I'd feel a lot better if I waited where there's an air conditioner."

He shook his head. "I kinda like you like this…"

I felt like shoving him. "Just give me the fucking keys, all right?"

Tai pretended to look scared and threw me his car keys. I smiled and walked up the hill, toward the parking lot. When I was finally at Tai's car, I felt like I was gonna pass out. It was so warm out, I had to ask myself if it was worth waiting around for my boyfriend.

"Hi, Yamato."

The voice made me jump with surprise. It also made shivers run down my spine. Even before I turned around, I knew it was Mimi.

"Uh…hi, Mimi."

She was looking at me with such a sad look, it made me want to hug her. All the poor girl wanted was some attention she was probably lacking with her family.

Her hair was darker. She died it from pink to dark brown.

"How--how are you?" she asked me, trying not to make eye contact.

"Good," I replied, shoving my hands into my pockets. "How are you doing?"

"Better. I guess, anyway."

We stood in silence, but it wasn't awkward. Finally, she said, "This was such a rough year."

I nodded. "Are you going back to school in the fall?"

"No," she sighed, half-laughing. "No way. I'm going across the river. I just wouldn't be anble to stand the people here, asking me what happened, asking me…making up rumours, really."

I could have smirked. Mimi made up more rumours than anyone else I knew. The school was full of drama, and it wouldn't have been half as bad if I hadn't met Mimi. Yet there she was, crossing her arms, telling me she was too ashamed of _other people_ to go back to school.

And all that made me do was feel sorry for her.

"I know what you mean," I replied, with more of a sarcastic tone than I intended on.

"Yamato, you have to know what it's like to have Yuki spread all those awful things about me. He told everyone I slept with him over a hundred times, that I wanted to sleep with all his friends…" She sighed. "…but there was only one thing people said about me that was true."

I leaned again Tai's car.

"I had such a crush on you, Yamato. I think it drove me crazy or something. I would spy on Kari, making sure she wasn't hanging out with you all the time. We fought so much, it just…"

I let her go on. I had to. It was like she was telling me her true feelings about what happened, exploding her frustrations to me. She changed so much since June, when I had last seen her break that window. She seemed angry and snotty back then. Now she just seemed sad and regretful.

"Maybe…I was in love with you. I don't know."

"You weren't," I immediately replied. "Love is completely different from a 'crush'. Do you think Yuki was in love with you?"

She shook her head and bit her lip. "No…"

"Exactly."

"But it's not the same anymore. I feel like…I just…"

I hugged her. There wasn't anything more to say, so I hugged her and stroked her hair. She cried on my shoulder. I felt horrible, like her mistakes were my fault.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I feel like everything si my--"

I pulled away. "Don't say that, Mimi."

She kissed my cheek. "Goodbye, Yamato."

Then she left. Even though it would seem like such a weird soap opera moment, I don't think I ever felt such a feeling, like sorrow or something. I wanted to help her.

But Mimi was the kind of girl that no one could help.

I watched her walk away for a few more minutes. When she was out of sight I jumped into the driver's seat. I remembered when I had liked her, partly from pressure and partly from her looks. It was five months earlier, but it felt more like years.

Then I picked her up at her large house. She was the least person you'd expect to be having issues with herself.

I bit my lip and thought about the year. It was hard to remember when Yuki was my best friend, Noah was my buddy, and Dai was the weird guy we hung around with. Now we were all separated, Noah with other friends, Dai with the soccer team…

…and Yuki…God knows where.

Tai jumped into the passenger's seat, startling me out of my thoughts.

"Get out of my seat."

I laughed. "You let me drive before."

"Um…yeah, never letting you do that again."

I started the car and drove. We were keeping light conversation, even though I wasn't listening, until Tai said,

"Did you see that Mimi girl walking on the sidewalk?"

I looked at him. "Yeah. Did you?"

He nodded. "Man, she makes a fucking ugly brunette, huh?"

She didn't look as good as she used to, but I replied, "She didn't look too bad."

We drove in silence. I was smiling because I knew I was smiling. Things all seemed to work out for me in the end with Tai and everyone else. I had to wonder if it was set up; it seemed so unrealistic. Sure, Tai and I had our arguments, but we were happy.

I knew we were.

"Remember all that shit she did?" Tai asked, shaking his head, as if reading my mind. "Man, she was one messed up girl. I knew she'd be a terrible friend to Kari."

"Well, I think she's…better now."

Tai shrugged. "I hope so. Wasn't she, like, obsessed with you?"

"I don't know," I lied.

"So guess who's at my house last night when I come home?"

I faced him. "Who?"

"Daisuke Motomiya. He was taking my little sister on a date."

"What?" I cried, wondering how Dai won Kari over.

"Things are so different now. It seems like ever since me and you became friends again, everything just got a little more…confusing, I guess, you know?"

"I know exactly what you mean."

Tai put his hand on my knee. "They got better, too."

That certainly surprised me. Tai wasn't normally all touchy-feely with anyone, so I smiled and turned to him. "Yeah.," I replied, putting my hand on his. "I know."

--

_**Finn**_

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